Spider Bite
by Rikana
Summary: Koga/Kagome -- When she couldn't pick up the pieces she had been broken into, he was there to help her put them back together. He was her savior, her knight in shining armor. She loved him for that.
1. Spider Webs

They weren't coming for her. Her mind knew that, but her heart wouldn't accept it. Every time before this, even when she had been in this state, he had always come for her. He hadn't left her behind. But the last times he had already been there to save her within hours. She'd been here for months now... or, at least, it seemed like months. Hell, she didn't know. Here, she wasn't allowed to know anything. All that she did know was the difference between the darkness from night and the sun of the day. And pain. She knew a lot of that here. He had hurt her, and he continued to hurt her. He violated her, tore her apart, shed blood from her skin for his own pleasure. The reason he existed in this moment was to make her life horrible, to taint her soul and her mind, to force her into submission. And she had, eventually, given up. She had begun to believe his words, to believe that she was just a whore, a worthless being that no one cared for. A pawn. A "shard detector." No one really cared about her was what he told her, and he said that at least with him, she was of some use. Her use to him was for his pleasure. She was a dispensable item to him though; he would throw her away like he had done with everything else he didn't have use of anymore.

And she didn't care anymore.

She was going to die here, rotting in her mind's prison. Her heart had barricaded itself from the rest of the world, trapping itself behind bars of steel. Her mind had shut all of its doors to the outside world. Slowly, she had lost sight and grasp of herself.

Kagome Higurashi no longer existed. Only a shell of what she had once been.

And now, as he took her once more, his hands running over her bare skin, causing her as much pain as possible, she stared into space blankly. She let her body become stone, unresponsive except for her breathing. There wasn't anything left to live for in her mind, so she just let life fly over her head.

"No one cares," he told her, venom dripping from his voice, "You're a worthless being, miko. Your use to him is to simply find shards of a jewel his yearns for. He doesn't love you. No one does. And once they don't need you any longer, they'll abandon you. They'll leave you to fend for yourself, and they'll forget you."

She tried not to listen to him, continuing to stare off into space. But his words attached to something inside of her, and they stayed there, with everything else he had ever said to her.

_You're Worthless... They don't care... You're just an item to them... All you are is a whore, giving yourself up to your own enemy..._

She tried to ignore him, to shut him out, to rid her memory of everything he ever said to her. But, because she was alone, those hurtful words were her only connection to a reality she didn't want to be in. The only thing that connected her to life...

He bound her this time, arms and legs tied together by his own powers, as he left to cause havoc somewhere. She didn't struggle. If she did, she'd only have to pay for it later. At least this time he had dressed her. So she just sat there, bound and immobile, left to her thoughts. If she could, she might have even spoken to herself, just to confirm that she was still alive. But speech was a distant memory to her. Every time she spoke, no one heard her. And if no one hears you, what is the point of speaking?

_He's broken me. He's made me his. The one I hate is the only one who acknowledges my existence... Why? What have I done in this lifetime that would make me deserve this? I'm trying to save the world from a villain, and this is what I get? I get raped, violated, hurt, and tortured... He's right. I'm just an item, something they'll throw out when they have no more use for it... No one cares._

And then, for the first time in weeks, her mind's eye brought up the memories of her friends. Of a red clad hanyo, a perverted purple monk, a red haired child, a demon slayer and her demon cat. The people she thought would always be there for her. She tried to think of her family instead, of the people who actually did care but couldn't come for her. But as much as she searched, she could find their faces. The people she could once remember in a moment, see their faces in the sharpest reality, were gone. Ghostly memories were what were left of them.

So, slowly, she closed her eyes and drifted off into a rare sleep, losing a bit more of herself as she did, letting the girl that was Kagome Higurashi slip away from her.

And then there was the sound of wood breaking, and of a playful voice soon after. Then there was yelling, and the sound of something tearing through the air. Silence followed. But footsteps soon followed, the sound of the feet on the wooden floor indicating running. Slowly, she opened her eyes, realizing she was awake. She turned her gaze to the door, shifting uncomfortably with bound limbs. A demonic aura was approaching the entrance, and she tried to ignore it. Yet, after a minute, she realized that it wasn't him. Whoever it was, whomever this aura belonged to made her mind start to work again. It was someone she knew, but she couldn't quite figure out who it was... She couldn't remember. So she watched the door slide open slowly, waiting with strange emotions.

...It was a man, but it wasn't him. It wasn't Naraku. It wasn't InuYasha.

It was a wolf demon, his black hair held high up atop his head in a ponytail, clothed in furs. And his blue eyes were deep, caring. There wasn't any evil there. They welcomed her... They _loved_ her.

He called her name out in soft tones, his voice full of worry and concern. She didn't respond. Her mind couldn't figure out if it was safe to trust him. And before she knew it he was kneeling in front of her, brushing her bangs out of her face gently. And when he said her name this time, she heard him. She listened to him. He was the one that was actually there to help her, not to hurt her.

He was her savior. And, finally, she was safe.

She didn't bother to stop the tears that came from her eyes then, as she let him cut her bonds with his Goraishi and lift her up into his arms. Anything else he said seemed to slip out of her mind's grasp though, as he cursed at someone else and barked out orders at whoever was with him. But she couldn't make herself care. For once, someone wasn't hurting her...

Then they were gone, and Kagome fell into a sleep, dreams fading in and out of her mind for the first time in ages.

And soon, there was warmth. It flowed up and down her skin, the sun's rays caressing her skin lightly and softly. The sound of something thumping reached her ears, a rhythmic sound, one she knew well herself.

_Thu-Thump...Thu-Thump...Thu-Thump..._

It was a heart that she heard, her head lying upon someone's chest. It took her a minute for her mind to understand what was going on, but when she did, her instincts kicked in. Powers began to flare up, shooting through her veins and burning like fire as she felt the demonic aura of this person begin to come over her. She took it as a threat. Everything was a threat. And so her powers began to grow, she began to let them do as they wished. The pink flames of power were escaping her skin, licking her skin and scorching her captor's. She would save herself this time. There was no other way...

"Kagome!"

Automatically, her miko powers recoiled, fading into nothingness. The voice that had spoken was loud and clear, identifiable in her mind. There was no threat, there was no danger. Not with him. He was someone who would keep her safe, someone who cared for her. He was Koga, and he would never hurt her. So she forced her eyes to open, squinting in the sunlight.

He was looking down at her, worried, and spoke in soft tones, "Kagome, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

Her mind reached for words, and her lips attempted to form them. But not a sound came out. And in that moment, she saw Naraku in her mind's eye. And at that vision, her mind automatically started to shut down, to go into a broken state.

"Don't speak," Koga told her softly, the surroundings behind him growing darker, the sky disappearing, "You're safe here. Just rest."

And then he set her down on something, releasing her from his hold. But she latched her fingers around his wrist, begging him not to leave her without any words. She didn't want to be alone. Not anymore. And she connected gazes with him, pleading for him to stay with her eyes. She watched him look at her with his blue eyes, hesitating to do something. But then, slowly, he sat down beside her, never taking his eyes from her.

"Kagome," he said to her so softly, carefully as he took his hands into his own, "What did he do to you...?"

All she could get herself to do was shake her head as she sat up, turning her eyes away from him. No one should know what Naraku had put her through. No one ever would know. Only she would bear her burden, and she would not allow anyone else to hurt themselves by helping her do so. She couldn't do that to someone, to share her pain with them. Only she and Naraku would ever know what had happened to her, and of that she was sure. And, lost in thought, she didn't even realize that she was crying. It wasn't until Koga pulled her into an embrace did she notice the moisture on her cheeks, and in knowing that, she couldn't stop herself from crying harder.

Before she knew it, her heart was spilling out her emotions onto Koga's chest in the form of tears, and she couldn't stop. And he just sat there, nose buried in her hair as he comforted her, holding her close. Never before had he seen her in such a state, and he would have never thought she could ever break down like that. She was too strong for that. Or, at least, she would have been too strong to do this before.

_What did he do to you? _The wolf demon thought to himself, closing his eyes and holding Kagome closer in his strong arms, _What was that stupid mutt thinking when he let this happen to you? How could that stupid hanyo let you fall into Naraku's hands?_

And in a while, he heard her breathing even out and felt her heart slow a little, letting him know that she was asleep. But her peace didn't last when she began to move in his arms, when she began to sweat in the cold air. Her nightmare was obvious, and he did his best to comfort her. Every time she thrashed in his arms he held her a bit tighter to his chest, holding back his demonic aura for his own defense. Her miko powers did begin to burn against his skin when they flared up, but he didn't leave her. He wasn't going to. She needed someone there with her, even if her dreams told her to fight against his demonic aura. So he stayed there, going through the pain and the uncomfortable happenings, staying with her. He had promised to protect her, and he had always kept her safe. He would keep his word, just like he always did. He would stay with her... always.

And as day faded into night, night soon then brought birth to day.

And with the rise of the sun Kagome woke up groggily, still leaned up against Koga's chest, unsure of where she was. Out of habit, her miko senses built up a small, weak barrier, but she pulled it down quickly upon remembering where she was. She turned her eyes slowly upward to see the face of her savior, unsure emotions running through her mind. But she was sure of one thing: she felt safe for the first time in so long.

And he didn't want to hurt her, as he sat there with her in his arms, and she knew that. His face was the same as ever, so calm and soft, and she had always known that she could count on him. But she had never expected him to be her one and only savior. And as she looked up at him, his blue eyes turned down to hers.

"Morning, love." He said quietly.

She flinched at the sound of the word and clenched her eyes shut, turning her face away from his gaze.

"_I might as well be your love you pathetic woman," he had said to her, his voice dark and full of venom during yet another night of hell he put her through, "I'm the one that clothes you, feeds you, allows you your life. I am your love, or at least, the only one who cares. And you, Kagome, will treat me as such..." And then there was pain, pain, and more pain, all alongside the word 'love.'_

"Kagome?" he asked a bit worriedly, unknowing of what his word had done to her mind.

She just shook her head and turned her face back up to his, not able to force a smile. And he just looked down at her, unsure of what he had done, but tried to ignore it. She didn't want to talk about it. So he'd let it drop.

"Do you want me to get you some new clothes?" he asked kindly, "Yours are kind of... torn up."

Kagome nodded quickly, wanting to get anything and everything off of her that had been touched by Naraku. Or, at least, anything she could.

"Alright then," he said, beginning to shift in his position, "Let's get up... or, you can stay here, and I'll be back."

Kagome began to move and pull herself up into a standing position, wanting to stay at his side and continue to feel safe, but when she tried to take her first step, her legs folded underneath her and she collapsed, old wounds tearing open. And before she could even blink she was back on the futon, Koga standing over her with another worried gaze in his blue eyes as he saw the small stream of blood traveling its way down her leg.

"I'll send back someone to help you with your wounds right away; I'm no good at that. But I'll bring you new clothes as soon as I can, Kagome." He said softly, turning to leave, "I won't be gone long, I promise."

And Kagome nodded as she watched him leave, turning her head back up to stare at the cave's rock ceiling when he was no longer in her range of vision. Vaguely, she remembered the first time she'd been her at the wolves den when Koga had kidnapped her, but the memory didn't distract her for long. Soon visions of Naraku crept back into her mind, and she cringed at them. She didn't want to remember what he had done to her; she didn't want to keep on feeling this pain. All she wanted to do was to numb out all the pain, to forget anything and everything about that dark hanyo that was Naraku. But no extent of magic or spells could do that for her. This was her pain, the pain he had placed upon her shoulders, the burden that she must now carry. And she closed her eyes, attempting to absorb her pain into nothingness.

But luckily for her, someone spoke to her before more pain could come.

"Are you Kagome?"

It was a female voice, a woman who was obviously a mother, her tone full of caring, understanding, and wisdom. Kagome found surprise when she felt her heart automatically open up at the sound of her voice.

So, after a moment, she nodded, and watched the woman come closer. The girl was tall and wore an outfit similar to Koga's, except she didn't have the fur leg warmers and the fur of her outfit was black. Her armor that covered her chest was lined with black, and the shoulder fur straps weren't as bulky as Koga's. And her hands, all the way up to the crook of her elbow, were bandaged, but not because of injuries. And she, like many of the other wolves, had a tail, hers black as night as it swished back and forth in its own time.

Soon, the woman was at her side, kneeling down.

"Koga sent me back here, he said you were injured." She said softly, kindly, "My name is Kyoko, Kagome, and if you could, could you show me where your injuries are?"

And Kagome looked into the woman's – Kyoko's – brown eyes and made her lips form a word, though no sound came out.

"_Everywhere."_

And it was the truth.

She watched as Kyoko's eyes softened, seemingly understanding what she meant, and wished she could find the will to speak. But still, there was nothing.

"Alright then, Kagome," she said in a maternal voice, "How about we clean you up in the springs and bandage you up there?"

Kagome nodded, and in seconds, she was swept up into the woman's arms with inhuman strength, and they were walking out of whatever room she had been in. Kyoko carried her the distance in a short time, and soon, the voices of a bunch of guys came to Kagome's ears. She thought she might have heard Kyoko sigh as they stopped in front of an open entrance to another section of the cave.

"Ok, you lazy asses!" Kyoko yelled out to whoever was on the other side of the cave wall, all the maternity gone from her voice being replaced by gruffness and authority, "Get your asses out of there or I'll end up mentioning how many times you guys 'forgot' to go to your patrol duties to Koga."

Kagome heard the sound of water splashing and the sound of running feet before half naked men came running out of the room, hearing Kyoko's soft laughter.

"You're all a bunch of cowards!" she called after them with a softer voice, then carried Kagome into the room the men had just sprinted out of upon hearing the threat.

It was a peaceful cast off section of the apparently large string of caves that housed the wolves, a hot spring resting in the middle. Kyoko carried her over to its edge, and gently sat her on the ground. Kagome turned her head to look at her as the woman sat down beside her.

"So do you want me to leave as you undress, or are you ok with me being here? Just shake your head no if you want me to leave for a minute."

But Kagome nodded as she began to take of her shoes and peel off her now holed socks, not wanting to be alone again.

And it wasn't long before she was in the hot spring, Kyoko sitting behind her on the rocks as she washed the miko's hair, humming to herself softly.

"You know," she said after a while, "I bet you could do with seeing some children."

Kagome turned her gaze over her shoulder to look at Kyoko, confused.

"They always brighten up your day, you know." She stated with a smile, "At least, that's what my kids did for me when they were sweet. Now they're just pains in the asses."

And at the mention of a child, Kagome's mind brought forth the image of a red haired kitsune. Her heart dropped. She wanted to see him, wanted to be there for him, but she knew she couldn't. Seeing her would hurt him. At least, seeing her like this. So all Kagome could do in response was nod slightly, not able to disagree, but not agreeing fully. And after that the silence reigned free again, and Kyoko began humming to herself. Kagome lost herself in the sound of the voice, in the melody of the tune even after Kyoko was done with her hair, finding it comforting.

But soon there was an interruption.

"_GOD DAMN IT WOMAN!_" Came Koga's voice, Kagome turning to see him clutching his right eye as she slid farther under the water, concealing her nudity, "_What the hell_!?"

"Get out, you idiot!" Kyoko yelled back, picking up a rock, "Or this one is gonna hit somewhere more sensitive than your eye!"

Koga then slid out of the room and stood on the other side of the cave wall, setting down some clothing near the entrance.

"These are for Kagome, you psychotic bitch! I'll be right here when she's done." He said, growling the words of insult.

And then it seemed as if he hadn't left, just fallen quiet, willing to wait whatever time was needed.

"Might as well get out now, Kagome," Kyoko said softly, "Koga's patience only lasts so long, no matter what he says."

There was the sound of something very familiar to InuYasha's "keh" comment from outside the room.

And so Kagome did pull herself out of the hot springs, standing there dripping wet. She looked down upon her nude form for the first time in months then, her mouth dropping open ever so slightly. There were purple, black, and green bruises up and down her body, cuts everywhere and recently healed, or healing, wounds covering her stomach, arms, and upper legs. It was the first time she had realized her physical wounds, and she couldn't stop the tears from flowing this time either. Her mind had been toyed with, her body beaten and used, and her soul shattered. What more could she take?

"Why is she crying!?" Koga's voice came, his nose obviously picking up the salt scent of tears.

"Don't you dare come in here!" Kyoko said with a threatening tone, but her tone automatically switched when she turned her attention to the miko, placing a comforting hand on Kagome's shoulder, "Kagome, dear, what's wrong?"

But Kagome just shook with her silent tears, sinking to the ground. How could she have let this happen to herself? Why hadn't she protected herself? How could she have been so _stupid_? But as her thoughts ran on she felt something being slid over her head to rest on her shoulders, and she looked to see Kyoko dressing her.

"It'll be all right over time, Kagome, but for now, just cry," she said slowly as she pulled the fur to cover the girl's stomach, "Sadness is only weakness leaving the body."

And soon, through the tears and her own thoughts, Kagome found herself bandaged and dressed in the clothing Koga had found for her, warm inside them. There was a brown fur shirt that fit like a tank top, though it only had one strap over her left shoulder, underneath the silver and black armor that fit her snugly. The brown skirt reached lower than her school uniform would ever wish, and she wore two bracelet like fur bands on each of her wrists, her shoes simply that of any other wolf demon there: bandages and skin. And, inside the clothes, she thought she felt a little bit cleaner than she had ever been with Naraku. A piece of something that reminded her of her time in hell was gone. She was glad, somewhere deep in her iron caged heart.

And now she walked out of the hot springs, her eyes slightly less swollen from her tears, to see Koga sitting there at the entrance, waiting for her. At the sight of her he was on his feet, looking at her with a smile.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, putting one hand on her shoulder.

She nodded, wrapping her arms around him and resting the side of her face against his armor. He had saved her... from hell. She would always be grateful for that. And soon she felt his arms around her, holding her close with gentle strength.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get to you sooner, Kagome," he said, burying his nose in her hair, "If I would have known... If that god damn mutt would have told me, I would have been there the next day. I would have killed him, I would have handed you his head on a silver platter."

Kagome just closed her eyes, unsure if she should do anything. All these things that Koga said were true; there wasn't a doubt about it in her mind. But something about the mention of InuYasha struck a chord in her mind. He hadn't saved her. He hadn't been there for her.

"If you want me to, Kagome, I'll take you to him." Koga continued, unknowing of her thoughts, "I'll take you to the damn mutt, even though I don't want to. All I want if for you to be happy right now, to be with the people you want to be with..." he paused for a moment, unsure of what to say, "Do you want to go back to him?"

The words ran through her head slowly. Did she want to go back to InuYasha, to the man who loved her, but at the same time, didn't love her? Did she want to hurt Shippo with the mere sight of her form? Did she want to trouble Sango and Miroku with her troubles, with her own personal hell? Or did she want to be here, with the wolves, with people who would leave her be when she wanted to be alone, or be there when she wanted to be with someone? Koga would always be there for her, and he would listen to her when she wanted to speak. He would always respect her wishes. And he, he was her savior.

So, she shook her head in refusal, looking up at him. And he smiled down at her, picking her up gently.

"Then I'll take care of you, Kagome." He said with a soft smile, "And I'll be here to listen when you want to talk."

And he had no idea how much those simple words meant to Kagome as she cuddled up against his armor covered chest, being carried back to the room where she had been before.

"She'll be able to get around without much pain by tomorrow night, Koga. Her miko powers speed up her healing rate by a bit." Kyoko said, informing the pack leader, "And if you need me Kagome, get Koga to come get me. I'm sure he'll do it."

Kagome nodded as she was set down on the futon.

"Now sleep," Kyoko continued, "It may be midday, but you need rest. You look like you haven't slept in weeks."

Then she turned and left, leaving the wolf demon and miko alone.

"I've got to go patrol now, Kagome," Koga said softly, "But I'll be back soon. Call for Ginta or Hakkaku and they'll come for you. And if they don't, I'll deal with them personally."

Kagome nodded, her eyelids drooping. She wouldn't have time for pain before she slept this time... not as tired as she was.

"I'll be back."

Then she fell into a sleep as her eyes closed, falling into the dark abyss of her mind.

* * *

"What do you think he did to her?" Koga asked quietly, sadly, as he stared up at the velvet black night sky.

"More than you can ever imagine, Koga," Kyoko answered from her standing position as she looked down upon the den below them, "And it isn't just going to go away. He'll use that as leverage, and he'll destroy her once she begins to heal."

Koga held back a sigh. He didn't want Kagome to hurt, to feel any pain at all. He just wanted her happiness.

"...How long did it take you to get over what happened to you?" he asked carefully, after a pause.

"I'm still not over it Koga," she answered, examining her nails absentmindedly, "I've just learned to numb out the pain and deal with it. But what happened to me is child's play compared to what he's done to her, Koga. He's twisted his darkness into her mind, and he's broken her strength. He made her submit to him in the worst of ways; he made her believe everything he said..."

Koga slammed his fist down on a neighboring rock, and it shattered into pieces, the sound echoing through the night.

"I'm going to kill him!" he yelled, "I'm going to make him pay for what he's done to her! I'll rip off his head! And then I'll go after that stupid Inu-Trasha for him letting that happen to her!"

"You'll only hurt her more if you hurt her friend's Koga. All she has right now is the people around her, and her family, where ever they may be."

"...I know."

"When I touched her shoulder, I saw so many things Koga." Kyoko said solemnly, looking up at the sky, "He... destroyed her."

"I want to help her! Tell me how to help her; don't tell me what he's done!"

Kyoko looked down at the enraged wolf leader, her eyes void of emotion.

"'You are worthless, a whore. No one cares for you, or about you. Where is the hanyo now, huh? Where is the man who said he would always protect you? Maybe he's forgotten you. Or maybe he's abandoned you. He doesn't need you now that all the shards have been collected. That's all you've ever been to him: a shard detector. He doesn't love you. All he wants now is my death. My death and Kikyo. And then he'll send you back to your home, and leave you forever. And your so called friends? Eventually, you'll be forgotten. They'll all forget about you, or if they do remember you, they'll remember only one thing: That you gave yourself up to the enemy. They'll remember that you were a whore, a pathetic excuse for a miko. They don't love you; none of them do,'" Kyoko said, quoting the dark words of Naraku to Koga, "'At least I, Naraku, your enemy, clothe you, feed you, and allow you life. But soon, I too will dispose of you when you're no longer needed. But, then again, how could you possibly get more worthless than you already ar—'"

"Enough!" Koga said, cutting her off, "I'm going to kill that bastard if it's the last thing that I do! But, right now I want to help her, not know what her pain was caused by!"

"But that's the point, Koga," Kyoko said, "You can't help her. She has to help herself first, before anything else. All you can do is be there for her."

"But—"

"It's all you can do right now, like it or not."

Koga sighed, bringing his hands to massage his temples.

"How can I just be there for her when she's as hurt as she is? I saw what happened to you! You just locked yourself away from the world and wallowed in your own misery! I don't want her to have to go through that!"

"I did that because I had no where to turn to. Or, at least, I thought I didn't," Kyoko explained, "But Kagome has somewhere to turn. And that somewhere is to you. Just be there to comfort her, be there to listen when she speaks. That's what she needs."

Koga then stood, his mind full of confusion as he faced Kyoko.

"I'll... I'll need your help." He admitted.

"And I'll be there when you need me to be. I'll be there for both of you."

A small smile graced his face at that.

"Thank you, Kyoko."

* * *

He sat down on the edge of the futon, watching Kagome sleep. She looked peaceful now, but he knew it was the exact opposite. From what Kyoko had seen from making contact with Kagome's skin, he knew Kagome would be far from healing for a long time. But, she'd work through it. He knew she would. He hoped she would. And for a while he just sat there, looking at the woman he thought he loved, unsure of how he'd ever be able to help her. But he knew he would, one way or another.

And it wasn't long before his demonic aura made her miko senses become sharper, and along with that, she became more awake. So much so that she was soon awake, her eyes fluttering open as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"Did you sleep well, Kagome?" he asked her when she looked at him.

She nodded, and he could tell that she was telling the truth. There had been nightmares, and he was aware of that, but she was doing better. Just a little bit better.

"Do you want to do anything?"

She shook her head.

"Are you hungry? I can have someone bring you back food."

She hesitated, and then nodded. She was hungry, but she wasn't aware of the pain anymore. What food she had been given before was very little, and eventually, the pain of starvation had been numbed out. But now she realized it.

And as Koga turned to leave the room, Kyoko came in, carrying food with her.

"I thought you might be hungry," she said with a smile, winking at Koga as she passed him and sat down on the edge of the bed, handing Kagome the fish, "So I got some. It's not raw like everything else here is, I cooked it."

Kagome nodded politely in thanks, and ate as Kyoko began to blabber on about something to Koga.

"You know, I ran into this real high and mighty asshole the other day when I was patrolling," she told him, a bit bored, "He wasn't causing any trouble, but he just demanded that I tell him where his 'arrogant hanyo brother' was. He said I smelt like a dog. So I told him to fuck off, and he got real pissed. But his face was so calm... it was kind of unnerving. But then he pulled out one of his swords and threatened me in the calmest way I'll ever see, but I was gone before he finished," then she paused, smirking like an idiot, "And I bet he still hasn't realized I split the back of his pants."

Koga laughed slightly, and shook his head.

"Kyoko, I think you split the Western Lord's pants."

She just laughed a bit harder, smiling, "It makes it all the better then."

And inside Kagome's mind she too laughed, listening in. Sesshomaru could do with some humiliation. I'd be good for him. But then at the mention of Sesshomaru, she thought of InuYasha. And then the pain flooded back over her, destroying whatever happiness had just come over her. She was going to be haunted for the rest of her life by this, wasn't she?

"You know what, Kagome?" Kyoko suddenly announced, "Koga is gonna take you out for a run today."

"I am?" Koga asked curiously, leaning up against a cave wall, crossing his arms.

"Yes, you are," Kyoko said, "She needs to get out of this messy hell hole you wolves call a den. Get some fresh air..." she paused, "See the sky and realize that the world isn't a prison."

Kagome looked up then, and knew what Kyoko was saying. She did feel trapped. She felt trapped inside her own mind, inside her own body, like she was a prisoner.

So, she nodded.

She would make an effort to escape the prison she'd built around herself to protect herself from the world's evils. She knew the world wasn't a prison. She knew that for a fact. In her time, there were rocket ships launching off into space, satellites proving that the sky was not the limit. She wasn't going to make the world she lived in a prison. She'd free herself from the cage she'd built one day. Even if it killed her.


	2. Stubborn Dogs

The day was bright, and the sun was warm. Wisps of clouds were scattered over the skies, occasionally hiding the sun for moments at a time. And Kagome was happy she could see the outside world after all this time. She would have never known she would have missed it this much before. She'd taken it all for granted. And now, as Koga carried her on her back as he ran on his patrol duties, she felt a bit freer. It was as if her heart, barricaded behind its iron bars, was seeing the world for the first time through the prison bars.

"Are you happy being outside?" Koga asked, looking over his shoulder to see her answer.

She nodded a small smile on her face. He smiled back, and turned his head back to the path in front of him. With Kagome currently gone mute, there wasn't a conversation he could start, but he didn't mind. She was here with him, and away from Naraku. That was all that mattered.

"You know, InuYasha will come for you eventually..." He stated, hating the words coming from his mouth, "For whatever reason you don't want to see him, you won't be able to stay away from him forever. He'll find you, just because he's that stubborn."

Kagome nodded solemnly, and he saw it without looking.

"...You don't have to answer," He said carefully, "But why don't you want to see him? I thought with you..."loving" him and all..."

Kagome cringed slightly, but tried to ignore any memories that Koga's words brought up. And, somehow, she found the will to answer the wolf demon, groping in the darkness of her mind to find the right thing to say.

"I... I don't... _love _him." She said, her voice weak and barely audible, "I... I don't... I don't know what love is anymore..."

Suddenly, Koga skidded to a stop underneath the shade of a tree, letting Kagome slide off of his back and turning to face her as he clasped her hands in his.

"Kagome, what did he do to you?" he asked softly, "What happened to you to make you change so much? Don't answer me if you don't want to, Kagome, but you've changed. It hurts for me to see you like this..." he paused then, trying to read the mixed emotions in her eyes, "...I want to help you, Kagome."

At his words, she cast her eyes downward. He wanted to help her. But did she want him to? She saw the image that was Naraku in her mind's eye, and shut her eyes tight. Memories flooded over her, as did the pain. She felt the knowledge, the memory, of him become heavier on her shoulder, and she knew it would never go away completely.

Then Koga called her name softly, pulling her back into the real world, and she opened her eyes. Then, without thinking, she sunk to the ground slowly, her legs unable to support her. She saw Koga sit down with her, one of her hands still held by his. He wanted to know, he wanted to help. He cared.

"He..." she began, looking up at Koga, all the memories running through her mind, painful images flashing one after another, "...He hurt me. He beat me, tortured me..." she paused, chocking on her words, "He raped me... And he didn't let me rest for a moment. I tried to fight him, tried to purify him, but he overpowered me. I couldn't... I tried..." tears began to well up in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall, "There wasn't a minute where I rested, there wasn't a minute where I was alone. He was always there, always using me for his own pleasure... And there was never I night where I wasn't... wasn't..." she couldn't make herself say the words that she wanted to come out, so she continued on, "He would say things over and over again, and I started to believe him. I..." She paused, feeling the moisture of her tears sting her cheeks.

"I don't know who I am anymore," she admitted, her voice breaking and quieting even more, "I don't know..."

Then she could no longer find that will to speak, so she said no more, shaking with her silent tears. Koga then took her into his arms, and she allowed his embrace, remembering everything that had happened to her, unable to suppress the memories.

"I can't go back to them..." she managed to say, whispering, "...because of what he's done... He'll hate me, all of them will... because I was weak... because I gave up..."

"No, Kagome," Koga interrupted, "Don't say that. That isn't how they are. And, I promise you, that I will kill Naraku with my own two hands. He won't get away with this..."

Kagome could not find the will to say another word, so she just listened to him and cried, unable to stop tears. And maybe, just maybe, she felt some of her burden lift off of her shoulders. Telling someone did help in the slightest, and she knew she could trust Koga. She would always be able to trust Koga...

"KOGA!" someone cried out in the distance, and she lifted her head from his chest to see where it came from.

And then Kyoko, Ginta, and Hakkaku came bursting out through the trees, the boys panting while Kyoko stood there unphased.

"Koga, we've got a problem back up at the den." She explained, "So you get off your ass, get Kagome, 'cause we're kinda in need of your assistance."

"What happened?" he asked, picking Kagome up as he stood.

"Well..." Kyoko began, a look of awkward humor on her face, "Remember how I told you I split the lord of the west's pants?"

Koga looked at her incredulously, then sighed and looked at her with annoyance, "Oh crap..."

Then Ginta spoke, still out of breath, "And... And InuYasha... and sister's friends... showed up too..."

"...And now... he and Sesshomaru... are... are going at it... and destroying the place!" Hakkaku finished, he too out of breath.

* * *

Wind ripped through the air at amazing, deadly speeds, at a futile attempt to hurt the demon lord of the Western Lands. But the daiyokai dodged with inhuman grace, punching his opponent in the face with a deadly force. The red clad hanyo then flew in the air, dazed, colliding into a rock halfway across the battlefield, wolf demons scrambling to get out of the way. But the hanyo was soon on his feet again, growling with his sword held high, ready to get right back into the battle. And so he did, charging his brother and unleashing another Wind Scar. But, yet again, Sesshomaru merely dodged, his expression quite bored.

"You must do better than that, my baby brother, to ever wish to defeat this Sesshomaru." He said with mocking tones, "For you are only a disgrace to your demon blood, relying on our father's fang to always save your pathetic life!"

And then Sesshomaru went after InuYasha, his Tokijin drawn and read for battle.

"_What the fuck_ is going on here!?" Someone yelled, interrupting the battle and stopping both brothers in their tracks.

InuYasha turned to see whom it was just as Sesshomaru did, but was the first to speak, the anger in his eyes turning to complete fury.

"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE, KOGA?!" he yelled, turning his sword and body to face Koga, "WHERE IS KAGOME!"

"She's safe. She doesn't want to see you." Koga answered in a surprisingly calm tone, "Now would you mind telling me why you and your brother are destroying my tribe's home?!"

"Not until I get Kagome back, you bastard!" InuYasha yelled, but went ignored when his older brother spoke.

"Where is the wolf demoness?" he asked sternly, his tone slightly threatening, "I have a score to settle with her."

"She said if you left the den she'd meet you at the base of the mountain," Koga answered, annoyed, "I don't care what you do to her, just don't kill her."

"This Sesshomaru was not seeking permission," Sesshomaru said, lifting off into the air and disappearing into the distance rather quickly.

There was a slight pause as InuYasha watched his elder brother leave, growling at him the whole time, but the peace didn't last long when he rounded on Koga.

"Where is she you bastard!?"

"I don't have to tell you that, mutt. She doesn't want to see you."

"The hell she doesn't! What did you do to her?!"

"I didn't do anything!" Koga said, losing his patience, "It was _YOU_ who let her fall into Naraku's hands! It was _YOU_ who let her fall into danger! It was _YOU_ who allowed her to be as hurt as she is now! And it was _YOU_ who didn't save her! _I _did!"

Suddenly, InuYasha's face fell, the anger disappearing from his eyes.

"There was nothing I could do. I want to see her, NOW."

"How many times do I have to tell you?!" Koga yelled, "She doesn't want to see you!"

"I don't really care! I know her! You're just saying that! I want to see her, and I will, even if that means killing you!" InuYasha growled in response, Tetsusiaga still held high.

"Boys, boys!" Miroku then intervened, seeing Koga's readiness to accept the challenge, "Koga, does Kagome know we're here?"

"Yeah, she does. And none of you are getting by unless she tells me you can."

"Alright," Miroku replied calmly, glad at the sound of Tetsusiaga being returned to its side at InuYasha's waist, "Then, if it is quite alright with you, we plan to wait here until she does wish to see us."

Koga sighed, standing up straight, "I'm not providing you with any shelter here, because simply, I don't want you here. But you can do whatever you want, just don't piss anyone off. And if you enter those caves, I'll personally kick your asses out of here."

"Sounds acceptable."

"Hell no it doesn't! Why doesn't Kagome want to see us?!" InuYasha yelled, demanding a response and starting another fight.

"I don't have to tell you that, mutt."

"But you will, you wimpy wolf!"

"No I won't, mutt!"

"Oh, won't you guys shut up?!" someone said from behind the group, her voice a bit broken up.

Koga looked over the group in front of him to see Kyoko, a bit beaten up, standing at the entrance to the den.

"That was quick." He stated.

"Yeah, that's because he ended up taking most of his anger out on an illusion." She said smirking, "He probably thinks I'm dead..." she let her voice trail off, and then she spoke up again, addressing InuYasha, "And you, you shut your mouth. She doesn't want to see you, and it's not for her own sake. It's for yours. Trust me on that. All your staying here will do is make everything harder for her, and things are already hard enough. So leave, she'll see you when she wants to."

"I'm not leaving until I see her!" InuYasha yelled stubbornly, "I have to make sure she's alright."

"She's not alright," Kyoko stated, "And she won't be for a long time. Seeing you will only make her more distressed, and if you really do want to help her, leave."

"NO—!"

"...Why doesn't she want to see us?" came a small voice that interrupted InuYasha, Shippo coming to stand at Kyoko's feet, "I worried about her... I want to see her too, so I know she's ok."

Kyoko's eyes softened, and she kneeled down to be more at Shippo's eye level, speaking to him softly like she would talk to her own children, "Darling, it's not that she doesn't want to see you, it's that she doesn't want you to see her... Right now, she's not feeling very good at all. Naraku hurt her badly. She doesn't want you to have to see her in the state she's in."

"But I don't care!" Shippo protested, "I want to see her, no matter what she looks like!"

Kyoko sighed, "It's not all about that..."

Shippo cut her off by jumping at her and hugging her neck, tears welling up in his eyes as he began to beg, "I just want to see her. Please. She's like my mother... I just want to make sure she's alright... Please..."

"What's your name, kit?" Kyoko asked after a moment, prying the kitsune off of her and setting him on the ground.

"...Shippo."

"Well, Shippo, I'll ask if you can see her, alright?" she said, compromising, "But don't get your hopes up, alright. She's really not feeling very good."

"Ok..." he said with a small smile, walking slowly back over to where a demon slayer stood with her cat demon.

"Oh, so you'll let that little brat see her, but not us?!" InuYasha said, enraged in the slightest.

"Oh, shut up hanyo." Kyoko said, glaring at the teen, "If you really cared about Kagome, you'd listen to us. And from what I'm seeing right now, you're a self-centered, arrogant, stubborn bastard who doesn't care about anyone but himself. And if that is true, I'll kick you out of here myself. Kagome doesn't need someone like that in her life right now."

InuYasha paused, at a loss for words. So, with winning the argument, Kyoko walked past the group and Koga, retreating into the caves to check on Kagome.

Kagome sat on the futon, listening to InuYasha and the others yelling outside. She wanted to run out to them, to greet them all and see them for the first time in such a long time, but she couldn't do that. She couldn't make them hurt when they saw what she'd been turned into.

Kyoko came into the room, before she could lose herself in thought any deeper, a soft look on her face as she approached.

"Are you sure you don't want to see them Kagome?" she asked kindly as she sat down beside the miko.

Kagome nodded, her eyes cast downward.

"The little boy, Shippo, he begged me to be able to see you." Kyoko continued, looking at Kagome even though the girl wasn't looking at her, "I told him I'd ask, I just couldn't tell him no. Not when he was crying."

Kagome hesitated, but then shook her head. It would hurt Shippo not to be able to see her, but it would hurt him even more to see her. Kyoko nodded in response, then fell back on the bed.

"Do you want something to eat?"

Kagome shook her head.

"Do you want to go to the hot spring?"

Kagome shook her head, eyes still cast downward.

"...Is there anything you want to do?"

Kagome thought, and then spoke one word in a soft, barely audible voice, "Koga."

Kyoko then nodded, and left to call in Koga, planning to take his place outside the cave entrance to make sure none of InuYasha's gang entered. And it didn't take long for Koga to come back to the room, taking his seat next to Kagome.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked gently, looking at her with caring eyes.

She didn't speak for a moment as she thought about the right thing to say, but soon, her words were heard.

"Because... because of what he did to me..." she began, "Do you still love me?"

Koga's heart dropped when he heard her words, now fully realizing how lost she was as he took her into his arms, knowing this healing process would not be easy for her.

"Of course I do, Kagome," he comforted, "Why would I not?"

"I'm... I'm not pure anymore..." she said with her face resting against his armor, "I'm not innocent like I used to be."

"That doesn't change anything." he said softly, "And it never will. I'll always love you, Kagome."

Kagome cuddled closer to him, closing her eyes.

"...Do they... do they hate me?"

"No," he answered, "InuYasha was ready to kill me if I wasn't going to let him see you, but Kyoko stepped in before we got to the fighting part."

"...Please... Please don't fight him..." she said after a moment, "...I don't want either of you hurt..."

Koga looked down at her for a moment, thinking, "I won't fight if you don't want me to."

There was a pause of silence, but it was broken by Koga.

"Kagome, you do know I'll always be here for you, right? I don't care what happens to you, or what you do. I'll always be here when you need me, always be here to protect you."

She nodded after a pause, pulling away from his chest and looking up at him.

"Thank you, Koga." She said, her voice still weak as it had first been.

He smiled, "That's how it has always been."

And then they were quiet for a moment, Koga opening his mouth to speak but never getting the chance to as a red-haired wolf demon walked into the room.

"InuYasha is causing some trouble, Koga," he said, his deep voice almost fake, "I don't think we'll be able to handle it."

Koga gave him a curious look, studying him for a moment.

"What's your name?" he asked simply, his eyes curious, "I don't recognize you."

"Uh... umm..." the demon stuttered for a moment, thinking quickly, "My name is... is Haku... I'm, um, Kyoko's brother."

Koga then suddenly jumped up, his Goraishi breaking through his skin without blood, where the weapon usually lay dormant.

"Kyoko killed both of her brothers," he growled, shielding Kagome with his body, "Who are you?"

The red haired demon looked a bit taken aback for a moment, but then tears came to his eyes, throwing Koga off. Before he could make any comment though, there was a sudden "pop" and a cloud of smoke that, upon fading away, revealed Shippo standing there, his eyes cast downward.

"I'm sorry... I... I wanted to see Kagome," he said, tears not yet gone from his eyes as he tried to peek around Koga's body, "I wanted to make sure she was ok."

"Kyoko already asked for you—"

"I don't care!" Shippo suddenly yelled out, rebellion shining in his eyes, "Kagome is like my mother! I want to make sure she's ok... I can't lose my mom again!"

Koga, too shocked to say anything, just stared at the kit, eyes slightly wide.

"Please," Shippo continued, his voice calmer but still full of distress, "Please, let me see her!"

The wolf demon looked over his shoulder to see Kagome with her hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes once again. She looked at him then with her distant brown eyes, and he knew it would be impossible for her to reject the kit any longer. No matter what had happened to her, there was still the girl that was Kagome trapped somewhere inside her heart, and that girl would fight for Shippo at any time. She was Shippo's mother, Shippo's guardian. She couldn't hurt him even if she tried. So, slowly as his Goraishi retracted back underneath his skin, he moved to allow the kitsune passage to Kagome.

And the kitsune jumped up automatically, calling out his mother figure's name with tears falling from his eyes. But she didn't quite hear him. She only saw the small demon flying at her, and out of habit, her arms opened wide for him. Soon he was hanging from her neck, crying into her chest as she held him with a certain hesitance. Shippo may be young, which meant he didn't understand her situation in the slightest, but he didn't reject her. He welcomed her, he worried for her. Just like Koga did. And she wasn't sure how that made her feel, but it was much better than what she had been put through before this.

"Kagome..." Shippo said, his tears subsiding, "Did... Did Naraku hurt you?"

She looked down at him, memories flashing through her mind. And the only thing she could do was nod, to tell him the truth.

"I'm sorry we weren't there," he said, sadness upon his face, "I wish I could have done something..."

Kagome shook her head, hugging Shippo's small form closer to herself. He couldn't have done anything to stop what happened to her.

No one could have.

* * *

"How was she, you little runt?!" InuYasha yelled, hitting the small kitsune over the head, "Tell me!"

But Shippo stayed silent, glaring up at InuYasha. He couldn't tell InuYasha what he had seen when he had been reunited with Kagome, Koga had asked him not to and he had promised not to say anything. He was going to keep that promise.

"I can't say!" he yelled up at the hanyo.

"That's what you keep on saying, and I don't care! Tell me! We care about he—" InuYasha began to rant, but was interrupted with a sharp pain on the side of his head as a rock collided into him.

"What the hell?!" he yelled, whipping his head to see the wolf demoness Kyoko underneath the night stars, glaring at her.

"Oh, you aren't the only one who cares about her, you arrogant bastard." She stated, tossing a pebble in between her hands, "The reason she doesn't want you to see her is because she doesn't want _you _to have to see _her_."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

Kyoko sighed, sitting beside the hanyo and looking into the large fire they had set up, "I can't tell you what happened to her. She'll have to do that on her own. But all I can say is that she's only locking herself away from you for your own god damn benefit. Respect that. Eventually, she'll come out to see you on her own. She just has to... heal first."

"And how the hell would you know that?" InuYasha asked, glaring at her still, "You been talkin' to her? She been telling you stuff?"

"No." Kyoko spit out with venom, "I speak from my own experience." Then she stood up, kicking InuYasha in the face as she did, "Now, you listen. If you ever want her to get better, you'll respect her wishes. And if you don't, you'll become worse than Naraku in her eyes."

Then Kyoko left, fuming slightly about the hanyo's stupidity, blocking out any memories that wanted to resurface, returning to her space just outside the caves entrance.

_It's over. _She told herself, _it's the past. Now is the present... it will only hurt you to remember... forget it again... just forget it..._

And, inside the caves that she was guarding, Kagome sat on the futon, her eyes closed. She couldn't seem to get Naraku out of her head; she couldn't make her mind shut down. She could feel his hands running up and down her skin again; she could hear his voice inside her head. Her imagination was taking her over, and she could see him once again, her eyes acting as if he were standing in front of her. His words ran through her head, the wounds he inflicted upon her hurt more than ever. She couldn't stop herself, so she just shut down like she had so many times before, hiding herself off from her mind.

And then he was there again, here to save her from herself.

"Kagome?" Koga's voice came, "Are you alright?"

She then opened her eyes, looking around herself. She hadn't even noticed that she had fallen on the ground, curling herself up into this fetal position... And then she was in his arms, being gently set on the futon once more.

"It's late," Koga then said, "You should rest."

But she shook her head, looking up at him.

"I don't want to have nightmares again." She said, her voice barely audible, "Not tonight..."

Koga sighed then, sitting down next to her, "You need to rest. You're only human."

"...But—"

"I'll stay here if you want me to, Kagome." Koga interrupted, "You really do need your sleep."

She looked at him for a minute, and then nodded, knowing that he was right in the back of her mind. But the nightmares... she had a feeling they were going to be worse tonight...

"Do you mind if I take off the armor?" he asked, taking his sword from his waist and setting it beside the futon, "It's not very comfortable to rest in."

"It's alright." She said quietly, looking over at him as he continued to remove the armor from his chest and take the band out of his hair.

And once he lay down beside her, she let him take her into an embrace, finding herself comforted by his presence. And there they lay for a moment, unspeaking, until finally Koga spoke.

"Kagome... What he did to you... I won't let him get away with that. I promise you."

"I know..." she said, "But killing him won't change what happened."

He paused, thinking, "I know that... but it can make sure that it will never happen again. I don't want you to ever to have to go through something like that again. I won't let the woman I love suffer."

She closed her eyes at the word "love." She didn't deserve to be loved by anyone. She was just a whore, a broken miko. No one should give a damn about her, no matter what she wanted. She didn't understand why they did, even though she was aware why they did at one point.

_I've made you mine, Kagome._

His voice rang loud in her mind, scratching at the insides of her skull.

_You belong to me now, you wretched miko, no matter where you are. You are mine for eternity. My mate._

She shut her eyes as hard as she could, trying to get him out of her head. She wasn't his. She wasn't his mate. She would never be. She didn't want to be...

"Kagome?" Koga said, looking down at her. Her face was drawn with such pain and confusion now that it worried him, it may have even scared him, "Kagome, are you alright?"

"No." she chocked out after a minute, dry tears unable to fall, "I think... I think Naraku..."

"What did he do?" Koga asked, his eyes burning with rage, "What else has he done to you?"

"...I think I'm his mate." She said, her voice cracking, "I think... I think he's made me his... forever."

Koga froze. The words were processed in his head, but he didn't fully understand them.

"No." he said finally, "No, you aren't."

But he wasn't sure of that himself. He couldn't tell for some reason, he couldn't be sure of what he wanted to be real.

"Sleep, Kagome," he said after a pause, "I'm here. I'll stay here. I'm not going to leave you. You need to rest now, to forget what happened today."

And eventually she did sleep, losing herself to her own darkness. And while she thrashed in Koga's arms in the dead of night, burdened with the fear of a nightmare, he realized something. He smelt it on her, the lingering scent of Naraku that he knew would never go away. And he cursed the heavens for it, he cursed any god he could think of for allowing this to happen to the woman he loved.

Naraku would die by his hand, which was a fact without a doubt.

And in a far away area, that man stood tall, staring at a clearing in the forest blankly. The winds swept strands of his hair every way, black hairs whipping his face. He didn't care. He was already satisfied enough with what he had done, of what plans he had put into action. And, before him, a castle began to form out of the air, the shikon jewel fragment he had pulsing in his hand.

He would win this war. As he walked into the new castle, Byakuya close behind him, he thought of her for the briefest second, a smirk coming across his features. He wondered what InuYasha would do when he found out what had happened to his "precious Kagome." Would he be filled with anger? Or would he be filled with worry and concern for his Kagome? It didn't really matter, for either way the hanyo would inevitably come after him, brandishing his sword with blind fury. And maybe even Sesshomaru would get in the way. He didn't care, as long as they came. And he would be waiting for them, preparing for their arrival.

But what he really wanted was to see Kagome again, so he could hurt her once more. Having her at his disposal had given him so much satisfaction, to see her blood run and her tears fall had given him a twisted form of joy. And he knew once she figured out what he had done to her, the memories would haunt her forever, no matter what she did to try and mend her wounds. There would always be a reminder of him, no matter if he was dead or not. And, at the thought of that, he knew that he could never lose if InuYasha and the others did bring about his death. He wasn't going to die without a fight; he wasn't just going to let his name disappear within the pages of time.

And as he found his way to the room he had created for himself, he slid a hand inside his shirt, fingers grasping the small vile that had once held Kagome's shikon fragments. The red liquid that lay encased inside did burn against his bare skin, but he could ignore it. All he would ever need was her blood. And he had it.

And soon, he would use it.


	3. Always and Forever

_Can't wash it all away,  
Can't wish it all away,  
Can't cry it all away,  
Can't scratch it all away_

Evanescence, "Understanding"

Pain. Blood. Scars. Words. Hate.

That's all she thought she could feel anymore. Even the sight of her friends, when she did manage to peek out at them, didn't bring her happiness. Only more sorrow came over her. She felt dirty, not worth being seen. Koga was the only one she would speak to, the only one she would let touch her. She couldn't deny him those things. He had saved her, he had protected her. And as the days went on to make weeks, her friends remained outside, InuYasha occasionally yelling at some wolf demon for something he hadn't really done. She yearned to see them, to go run out to them. But she couldn't do that. She just wished they would leave, that they would forget all about her, just like Naraku said they would do to her. But they didn't leave; they remained loyal, respecting her wishes not to be seen. Even Shippo didn't come back any more to see her.

And now, as she sat on the cave floor, her back resting against the rock wall, she tried to think of why they would do this for her.

_Because they love you, _Said a small voice in the back of her mind, _because they want only the best for you. Because they want to be here for you. _

Kagome tried to ignore that little voice. It didn't make much sense to her right now; its words didn't register correctly in her mind. She just wanted things to make sense in her brain right now, but her mind had been twisted in so many ways. It was even hard to distinguish her dreams from reality sometimes. Clenching her eyes shut, she told herself if he was there, it was a dream. It was all over now. He wouldn't come back... She didn't want him to come back...

"Kagome?" came a calm voice, "You feeling alright?"

Kagome opened her eyes to see Kyoko staring down at her, and she nodded, lying.

Kyoko sighed softly, smiling softly as she sat down beside the girl.

"You know, Kagome," the wolf demoness said, light touching Kagome's arm, "When I touch someone, I see the darkness inside of them. I see inside their memories..." she withdrew her arm then, bringing her hand up to examine it, "And yours are quite... disturbing."

Kagome, realizing that Kyoko had just seen in full detail what had happened to her, turned her gaze to the floor, ashamed of herself in the slightest.

"It's not anything to be ashamed of, Kagome," Kyoko continued, "The memories may be painful, and they may haunt you, but didn't have a choice of what happened to you after awhile... I know what that feels like. It isn't fun. "

Kagome turned her gaze back up to the woman, looking at her with distant eyes. She had no idea how it felt. Nothing that could have happened to her would give her any understanding of how this felt.

"I heard Koga say that I had killed both of my brothers when Shippo snuck in to see you," Her voice was distant, "And I did kill them both. When my parents died, they wanted me gone. I never did find out why, but they went far enough as to sell me to some lord. And all I was to that man was a whore, a worthless being... What he put me through is nothing compared to what you were put through. I know that. But I did eventually find a moment where I forgot everything, where I just killed. And the lord didn't live past that day. Neither did my brothers. But once the anger had subsided, once the fury had disappeared, I realized I had nowhere to go. So I just stayed there on my own, out in the wilderness. As a demon, it wasn't hard to live. But... But then I found out something. I found out that I was pregnant...

"Once I knew that, everything flooded back over me, and I broke all over again. Then Koga found me, and he took me in as one of his own. I began to heal with him, and he kept me safe until I gave birth. And that little boy doesn't make me sad at all. He's my pain in the ass now, but I love him." She then paused, continuing after a moment, "I know how it feels to be broken, Kagome. I know what it means to not know where to turn. And he hurt you more than I can ever imagine. I can't help you yet though, Kagome. You have to help yourself. You have to learn to live with the pain, to numb it out.

"And don't give that bastard the satisfaction; don't let his memory ruin your life. The pain will never go away, not completely. But you have to be stronger than him, to be able to live with yourself. You have to help yourself before any of us can help you."

Kagome looked at her for a moment, slightly shocked as Kyoko looked straight back at her. She wasn't... She wasn't alone.

And, after a moment, she nodded. Kyoko was right.

But somewhere deep in her mind, something screamed out at her. There was no way that Naraku could ever be gone from her system; no way that she would able to scrub the dirt of him off of her body. She couldn't cry his memory away either, she couldn't just wish it to be gone and it would disappear. She would have to live with this for the rest of her days. And that something in her mind didn't want to live with this.

But she would fight on one way or another. At least, until that bastard was dead.

* * *

InuYasha sighed, glaring at the entrance to the caves. Kagome hadn't come out once in at least a week and a half. Where the hell was she?!

And as he thought he didn't notice Koga come up behind him, and was taken by surprise once the wolf demon kicked him in the back of the head.

"What the—!?"

"How long are you planning to stay here?" Koga asked, annoyed slightly, "She's not going to come out any time soon, I don't think."

"Then why don't you talk her into coming out here, you stupid wolf?!" InuYasha yelled in response, "Then we'll all be gone and you'll go back to wishing she'd ever love you!"

Koga glared at the hanyo, "I'm not going to try to get her to do anything she doesn't want to do. That would just hurt her. So either you get your ass out of here and go find more jewel shards or you can wait here and rot."

InuYasha growled, "She'll come out to see me—I mean, us, before you know it, and she'll ditch you. Just wait."

"If you want to wait, you can do what you want." Koga responded calmly, "I only came over here to ask the demon slayer something anyway."

Sango looked up, her attention on Koga, "What is it you want?"

"Kyoko wanted me to ask if you wanted to bathe," he answered, turning his gaze towards her, "It was her idea."

The demon slayer thought for a moment, then nodded, "It would be nice."

"Then c'mon, she's waiting over by the entrance," Koga said, kicking InuYasha in the head one last time before he turned to leave.

* * *

Sango dipped her foot into the hot spring first, checking the temperature before she let herself slide into the water beside Kyoko. Neither of them said a word for a long while as they bathed in the hot springs, an awkward silence lingering over the two before Kyoko spoke up softly.

"The scar on your back, is that from Naraku as well?"

Sango looked at the woman for a second, wondering if she should answer. She barely knew this woman... but this woman was helping Kagome. If Kagome could trust her, shouldn't she be able to?

"Yes." She answered quietly, "He possessed my brother at one point in time, and he killed my whole family. I ended up escaping with only this scar."

"Your family was the demon slaying clan, right?" Kyoko guessed, looking at the girl curiously, "And your brother died in that accident, am I correct?"

"...Yes. But Naraku... he brought my brother back to life with the power of the shikon fragments."

Kyoko's eyes softened for a moment, "He's been in all of our lives one way or another, hasn't he?"

Sango sighed, nodding, "Unfortunately."

And for a moment neither of them spoke, until Sango built up the courage to continue speaking.

"Is Kagome-chan doing well?" she asked, "Will she be alright?"

"Physically she will be fine," Kyoko answered solemnly, "But her mind will take time to heal... She spends most of her time alone here, if she isn't with Koga."

"Is Koga taking care of her? Is he treating her right?" Sango asked out of worry for her friend, wanting to make sure she was being taken care of properly.

"He treats her as if she were part of his own family," Kyoko answered, "He cares for her the best he can."

"...I guess we can trust him."

"He might be a cocky bastard, demon slayer," Kyoko commented, "But Koga is loyal and protective. He wouldn't let anything happen to Kagome while he was around."

Sango smiled lightly, "You can call me Sango."

"Sango," Kyoko said with a smile, one hand reaching behind her, seemingly to grab something, "I'd suggest you slide a bit further down in the water now."

"Why—!?" she asked, but automatically ducked down once she saw Kyoko chuck a fairly good size rock straight over her head.

"_WHAT THE HELL, WOMAN?!_" Koga yelled, clutching his eye where the rock had hit him.

"Get out, you idiot! I though out of all the rocks I've thrown at you, you would have learned to stay out of here while women are bathing!"

Koga, growled at her, walking back behind the entrance.

"Kagome wants you, you psychotic bitch!" Koga said from behind the cave wall, "She wants to talk to you about something, she wouldn't say what."

Kyoko sighed, "Tell her I'll be there once I get dressed. Does she need her leg wounds re-bandaged?"

"It wouldn't hurt to bandage them again, I guess." He answered with less anger, "But hurry up and get your ass over to her – I hate leaving her alone."

"I know you do," She said, then turning her attention to Sango, "I'm going to get out now, I guess, so you can just stay in here or go back out to where you guys were. Just don't go anywhere else in the caves please, it took a lot of talking to get Koga to let you in here."

Sango nodded, casting her eyes downward. There was silence as Kyoko changed, but as the woman turned to leave, Sango spoke up once more.

"Kagome's wounds aren't bad are they?"

Kyoko looked cast her eyes to the floor for a second, then turned them back to Sango, "Most of them aren't."

* * *

Kagome curled herself up in a ball on the futon, sweat dripping down her forehead. There was something wrong... something happening to her. She wanted to scream, to allow the pain to leave her body. But as she searched for her vocal chords, she couldn't find them. No matter how hard she tried, her mouth only opened for silence. Her body was racked with waves of pain and her mind couldn't be taken off of him. Naraku was the only thing that ran through her mind, all her memories of him playing over and over. And then her stomach began to hurt, began to burn. And suddenly her miko powers flared to their fullest, barricading her inside the room, allowing no demons to enter. Her body was trying to protect itself, to stop the oncoming demonic aura coming for her. She didn't even notice when Kyoko began screaming out her name, desperate for her to stop the barrier. But she wouldn't have been able to if she had tried. It wasn't her choice, it was just her mind reacting.

And, miles away, Naraku felt her powers flare up as he watched the child, no older than four, in front of him collapse, writhing in pain. He held that vile of her blood in his hand, the other holding a beating heart. And he just watched, not moving to help the boy. Yes, it was his newest detachment, but in a new sense. He would make this one free, only connected to him in the biological sense. Why, he would keep to himself. But as he watched the boy writhe and scream at the pain, he broke the vile open above the heart, the blood falling in ruby droplets upon the heart. And with each beat the blood entered the heart, the arteries sucking it all up.

Silence fell in both places, and the pain disintegrated for both child and miko.

The boy, wiping his short black hair out of his face, got himself to his knees, breathing heavily from his past pain. And then he clutched where a heart should lie, looking up at the man who had made him. They looked alike in many ways, but as the heart faded from Naraku's hand, so much more was apparent in the young boy's face. Wincing, the boy fell back over, unconscious. For the day of his birth, he had experienced a pain unimaginable. And now it was time to sleep it off, to lose himself in a world of dreams. And Naraku just stood, making his way to exit the room, smirking to himself. He cared not about this boy, but that didn't matter. Once she knew what the child was, she would be at his disposal, no matter what they said.

And, where the wolves lie in their dens, all hell began to break lose. There was the hanyo fighting his way into the caves, injuring the ones who got into his way as he sensed Kagome's pain, fighting off anyone who dared to get in his way. And when he reached her, pushing passed Kyoko and Koga and into the miko's barrier, he ignored any pain that was brought over him. But he froze when he saw her, when he first laid eyes upon her broken form. Even as the powers burned away at his skin, he couldn't draw his eyes away from her tears, couldn't stop himself from feeling her pain. He ignored Koga's yells at him, ignored Kyoko's warnings as he came up to her, gently touching her arm as cuts began to form on his skin, blood dripping in small streams down his face.

And he said her name, ever so softly, placing his palm upon her shoulder.

She screamed then, and InuYasha went flying across the room, indenting the solid rock cave wall as he impacted with it, falling into unconsciousness with the hit on the back of his skull. And then the miko power fell into nothing, and Kagome too fell into unconsciousness as Koga and Kyoko ran in, the barrier finally gone. And as Koga took Kagome into his arms and Kyoko looked over InuYasha, Sango walked by the entrance, and looked in upon the scene.

_Will you never stop, Naraku? Will you never leave us be?_

Kagome hadn't woken once since her incident, but InuYasha had, with a horribly bad attitude. He and Koga had somehow ended up not fighting, and the hanyo had sat in the room with a sour face as he eyed Koga, the wolf holding Kagome close to him. Neither of them spoke either, both too pissed at one another and wondering what the hell had happened to Kagome to make her do what she had. InuYasha, left in the dark, had no idea what the hell had actually happened as he tried to figure it out. But Koga knew it had something to do with Naraku. It had to be something to do with him; he was the only one who could make Kagome do something like this. And he cursed the man as he held Kagome close to himself, refusing to leave her side. InuYasha glared at him the whole time though, and despite Koga's strong urge to rip out the hanyo's throat, he held himself back. Kagome hadn't wanted him to fight. So he wouldn't.

But as they both thought, suddenly, Kagome woke with her eyes snapping open in fear, trying to sit up as Koga's arms held her down.

"Kagome!" they both said, InuYasha jumping up.

But she ignored them, staring at the entrance, paralyzed in fear. And Koga picked up on that fear.

"Kagome," he said, his voice worried, "Kagome, what's wrong?"

And he didn't need an answer once that scent came to him, when Kagome became rigid in his arms.

"...Damn it..." InuYasha growled, drawing Tetsusiaga, "What the fuck is he doing here?"

And then the hanyo ran out of the caves, leaving Koga and Kagome behind.

"Naraku..." she said slowly, speaking the name with fear.

"He won't hurt you, Kagome," Koga said with a rough tone, holding her a bit closer, "I won't even let him see you. He's not getting close to you, I swear."

She didn't respond, just closed her eyes, trying to block out her memories.

"But I have to go fight, Kagome," he continued, "Or he will get back here."

She nodded, and didn't move as he stood up at set her back down on the futon. She could tell that she was just reverting back to that state she had been in, where her heart hid and her mind shut down. She was just becoming something... dispensable. The words that Naraku had drilled into her mind were resurfacing as she reverted to the Kagome that knew nothing, the Kagome that could do nothing. The worthless, pathetic Kagome was returning. And after a moment of thought, she sat back up, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. She didn't want to return to being that.

Then there was wind whipping through the air, and the sound of midair explosions and rocks being smashed. Battles were beginning again, and people were yelling at one another almost pointlessly. But when she felt the auras of her friends suddenly turn into fear, she knew something was wrong. Never before had she ever felt her friends be this _fearful_ of Naraku...

Then there was the darkness creeping up on her again, and that aura engulfed her. Memories began to run wild, and her heart began to bleed again. There was a literal darkness settling over her then, and she heard Koga and InuYasha scream her name. Before she could react though, pain encased her, and she was thrown against a wall, her back erupting in pain. And she felt those cold hands pinning her wrist down, and she automatically shut her eyes. She wasn't going to see him... not again. But when a cold hand was replaced be the scales of his tentacles, she knew her resistance would be futile.

"Look at me, love," came his cold voice as his hand wrapped around her throat, turning her face to be in his direction, "I've missed you."

She didn't fight. She'd only be punished if did.

"Love," he spoke, the words dripping with laughter, "You can't escape me any longer. You'll never be able to. Now, open your eyes or I will take you right here, in front of your comrades."

She felt the barrier grow around them, feeling the weakening spots where she could tell Koga and InuYasha were. But they wouldn't be able to break through, she knew that much. Even just standing here Naraku took her powers to strengthen his own, mixing pure with his darkness.

"Love, you had better listen," he said with a threatening tone, his hand tightening around her throat, "You know I keep my word..."

So, slowly, she opened her eyes, staring upon his face. And as she saw it, she also saw her world shatter around her all over again. It was as if the devil himself was staring at her, in all his flawlessness, taking her mind and soul over once again.

"I have something for you," he stated, "Will you take care of it for me, my pet?"

She flinched. Every endearing word he said to her, every time he called her his love or his pet, it cut her heart. It was a game to him, a joke. He only called her such to hurt her. It was no type of reality on his part, nor on hers. The hated each other just as the other one did, but Kagome was more overcome by her fear, by her pain, and by her memories.

"Answer me," his voice was threatening, "Answer me my dearest, or you shall not be the only one punished."

Then, suddenly, something burst forth from behind the bars she had encased her heart in, screaming and shaking the cage.

"No." her voice was fuller now, more like it had once been. And she tore her neck away from his grip, staring to her right, directly into Koga's eyes, where the wolf demon fought to break through the black barrier that surrounded her and her devil.

"Don't you dare, Kagome," he forcefully made her gaze return to his, grabbing her neck with such force that droplets of blood came from where his nails broke her skin, "You will look at me, you bitch. And you will listen, or I will make you suffer even more than you once did, and in front of your so called friends as well."

And then whatever bravery had come over her was gone, and her eyes were hollow once again.

"Bitch," he continued, "You are mine now, if they haven't told you such. No one will ever take you again, for I have claimed the pathetic thing you are. You will never be able to be rid of me, even in death. And I shall now give you something... Do what you wish with it..."

Then, suddenly, his lips crashed down on hers, and too many feelings came over her. His hand began to travel up and down her body then, releasing her throat.

_You are mine._

_Always._

_Forever._

_There will be no escape._

And she froze, her eyes still wide open as his were as his lips moved on her frozen ones. And soon the distant stare that was sucking her soul from her was too much, and she shut her eyes, attempting to get him off of her. But any miko power that she summoned was simply transferred into his powers, strengthening the barrier that shielded her from her friends.

"Fight me," he whispered between his violations of her, "Fight against me... Hurt me... Hit me... Burn me... If you can."

And she tried as his hands slid into her shirt, violating her once again, but he only grew stronger with each attack she tried. And when he broke from her, he only said a few words, the words that would haunt dreams to come.

"He's yours, love. Through your blood, he is yours, forever connected to you."

And then he was gone, his form fading into nothingness, wisps of darkness left behind. And the barrier fell as Kagome slid to the ground, her eyes opening as she stared off blankly into space. And when everyone was at her side, she only put up a barrier, cutting them off from her once again. All sound was gone, their touch was denied, and she ignored their looks. All she saw were the wisps of darkness He had left behind coming closer to her, sliding through her barrier and coming beside her, beginning to form a center, creating a solid that grew. And she watched it, as did all the others. Soon she saw the face begin to form from the darkness, and reached out to it. It was a child, forming from head down from the darkness, scared and unsure. She cupped its cheek with half a mind. Who was it? What had Naraku left behind?

And then it was their in its entirety, a small child dressed in gray.

_Gray, created of both darkness and light._

And it stared at her for a long time, and she stared back, Kagome not noticing Kyoko throwing InuYasha half way across the room and kicking Koga in the head to stop them from pounding on her barrier. Only Kyoko knew the answer to this, she was the only one who knew what was going on. She had been able to touch Naraku in battle, if not for the one second. She knew what this child was, the child that was created with both light and darkness.

And the child spoke in a whisper, diving into Kagome's unexpecting arms with a scared cry.

"_Mother?"_


	4. Confusion

No matter what they did, no matter what they tried after Kagome had put down her barrier, she would not let the child leave her grasp and she would allow no one to touch her. InuYasha, after recovering from being thrown across the room by Kyoko, had been the first to try, and he had been blasted back by Kagome's miko power, hitting the opposite wall yet again. Koga was the only one who could stay close to her as she held the toddler close, the only one she would allow to touch her.

And somehow, InuYasha didn't fume, despite his headache. He just sat on the other side of the room, watching and thinking. The thing that Kagome held, the little boy, was definitely not one of Naraku's detachments. At least, he wasn't any more. There was no doubt of that, but yet the child reeked of Naraku. But it wasn't external, it was internal. His blood... it smelt like Naraku. But that wasn't what bothered him. It was that the blood also smelt like _her. _It smelt like Kagome. And the two scents did come together to make once, but InuYasha could still distinguish between the two.

So, truly, this child had connections to Kagome. Almost... almost as if the child was her own...

"Kagome," Koga said softly, turning to face her, "Kagome, can you hear me?"

Kagome made no move to respond to him, and her eyes just remained distant and hollow as she stroked the young boy's black hair.

"Kagome... That boy could be a threat. He came from Naraku, didn't her? I can't put my pack in danger..."

She tightened her grip on the boy. She didn't care where he had come from. There was something deep inside of her that told her she couldn't let it come to any harm, something that connected her to the child. She wouldn't let him go.

"Kagome," Koga continued, his voice a bit sad, "I won't hurt him... I just... just want to see him for a moment."

"You're an idiot," Kyoko spoke up from her leaning spot against the entrance, "She's not gonna let him go."

"Why not?"

Kyoko sighed, brushing her bangs out of her eyes, "Can't you smell it?"

"...Smell what?" Koga asked, confused.

"Her blood," Kyoko said dully, talking as if she was explaining something simple to a complete idiot, "Her blood is in that boy. She may not have given birth to it – Naraku probably did and then freed the poor boy from his grasp – but her blood runs through its veins. It's her baby, her child."

Koga's eyes widened in shock and InuYasha's closed in silent anger.

"She's not gonna give it up, no matter what you say," the hanyo said, anger apparent in his tones, even though he was controlling it, "And she probably doesn't care that it is also Naraku's child. It's hers, and she's gonna protect it and care for it. That's just the way she is."

Kagome nodded slightly then, still staring into nothing with that hollow stare as she clutched the child tighter to her. She would protect him, care for him, and maybe even love him. She had to. The boy was hers...

"Kagome..." Koga said quietly after a pause, gently moving to pick her up, being cautious, "Let me take you up to the bed at least."

She didn't respond, but she didn't fight. So he picked her up and moved her, setting her down gently on the futon. InuYasha then stood after exchanging a quiet argument with Kyoko, and then grabbed Koga's forearm. The wolf snarled.

"Shut up, flea bag," InuYasha snapped back, "Your wolf friend wants us gone."

Koga looked up at Kyoko and she nodded, so he followed suit as InuYasha headed for the exit. But just as the hanyo was about to leave, he took Tetsusiaga from its sheath and stabbed the wall with it, embedding the rock with the sword.

"It'll protect her." He said simply, and then left with the wolf behind him.

And then there was a silence between both the girls, neither speaking while Kagome still looked off into space with her hollow eyes. And after a while Kyoko made her way towards Kagome cautiously, sitting down next to the miko, her eyes on the girl the whole time. Slowly, she then reached out to touch the boy's head, and surprisingly, Kagome didn't stop her in any way.

"The last thing I would do is hurt either of you, Kagome," she whispered, taking her hand away from the child after a pause, "...I'm not sure if I know how you feel now though. I had a child fathered by my... my 'owner.' But this..."

"This isn't normal." Kagome finished quietly, still stroking the boy's hair, "I never gave birth to him. But still, I know he's mine..."

"I can tell he's yours. I can smell your blood in his veins, just like I smell mine in my own child's."

Kagome, looking off into space, suddenly realized everything for the first time, almost if she hadn't processed it at first. And then the tears came to her eyes. How the hell was she going to deal with this?

"What am I going to do?" she mumbled quietly, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, "I... I can't be a mother... not right now."

Kyoko then took Kagome and the child into her arms, offering comfort.

"You'll do fine."

"Kyoko, I can hardly function. It hurts, all the time. I can't even... I barely...," she said, struggling for words, "If I can't take care of myself, how can I take care of a child?"

"You won't be alone, darling," Kyoko said softly in comforting tones, "I'll be here, as will Koga and your other friends... Would you look at me for a moment, Kagome?"

And Kagome did so, looking up at the demoness, who's attitude had turned into seriousness.

"You have to remember this. You aren't alone anymore. We're here, and we'll always be, no matter what that Naraku said to you. You can't hold on to that spider's words any longer. You have to learn to let them go."

Kagome paused, thinking. Kyoko was right, and she was aware of that. But it wasn't just as easy as saying it. For a long time Naraku's words had been her only conformation that she was actually alive, the only link to the outside world. It would be hard to get them out of her mind, where each word had been etched into her skull...

"Momma..." the boy said groggily from his spot in Kagome's arms, shifting a bit in his spot to look up at the girls, "Are... Are you Kagome? My mom?"

Kagome looked down at the child hesitantly, looking into the boy's red eyes. She almost flinched back at the sight of them, but then she realized that they weren't anything like Naraku's. These were filled with innocence, fear, and curiosity. Naraku's were filled with evil and hate.

So Kagome, unable to force a smile as she answered, tried to show some sort of caring through her eyes.

"...Yes."

The boy smiled softly and then spoke in a small tone, "He calls me Kumo."

_Spider._

Kagome nodded, still wearing an unreal smile, "Then that's your name."

He smiled a bit wider up at her, and nodded, resting back in her arms.

-----

"What the hell are we gonna do?" InuYasha said to no one in particular as he massaged his temples slowly.

"Oh, shut up and quit your whining hanyo," Koga spit out, kicking InuYasha in the back of the head with his foot, "Whining isn't going to help Kagome."

"Neither will kicking me, flea bag!"

"Oh shut up..." Koga growled, sitting down on the ground, crossing his legs over one another.

"So, Kagome has a baby now?" Shippo asked curiously, scampering over to InuYasha and climbing up onto the hanyo's shoulder.

"Sort of, Shippo," Miroku answered quickly before InuYasha could spit out a remark, "The child was born of Naraku, I would think, like Kagura, Kanna, and Byakuya were. But somehow, Kagome's blood ended up in the child's blood."

"So..." Shippo began, attempting to grasp the concept, "Kagome is like the child's mom, but the boy just wasn't born from her?"

"Yes."

"But wouldn't that mean the child isn't really hers?"

"Not necessarily, Shippo," Miroku continued, "Naraku has more powers now, I think. He may be able to do more things than before."

"Oh... but—"

"Oh, be quiet, runt!" InuYasha snapped, "It doesn't matter what makes the kid hers! The only thing that matters is that the kid _is _hers, and it's also Naraku's!"

Shippo fell silent immediately, jumping off the hanyo's shoulder and scampering over to Sango.

"So, what are we gonna do mutt-face?" Koga asked, "The kid is Naraku's, I can't ignore that fact. He could be a threat in some form or another..."

"But we can't take him away from Kagome," InuYasha finished, "So I say, since Kagome won't let me within a couple feet of her, you're gonna have to just watch the kid with her flea bag."

"...I guess."

Then they fell silent, unable to say anything else. All in all, they were still in shock, and they were engulfed in guilt. They had let him get to her, and now she was even more hurt then the last time. And that hit Koga the hardest. She had started to be able to smile again... but now, because of his stupidity, she wouldn't...

"I'm leaving." He then announced, standing, "And don't you dare even—"

"—yeah, I know. I can't step foot inside your god damn caves," InuYasha growled, "Now go check on her. And, I swear, if you end up hurting her, I'll tear you apart with my sword."

"One," Koga snapped back, listing his retaliations, "I'd never hurt Kagome in any way, unlike you. And second, you left your sword _inside _the caves."

And then the wolf demon was gone before the hanyo could say a word, leaving the boy to end up cursing himself.


	5. Healing

I doubt I will ever heal.

My mind continues to rot, my heart refuses to leave the cage it created for itself, my soul still rests in pieces, and my throat refuses words to pass to those who bring back memories of him. Koga and Kyoko, that's the only people my mind and heart will accept. I don't know why every time I see InuYasha, my world shatters around me. I used to love him, I used to accept him even though he hurt me. But now, just upon the sight of him, my mind breaks down. All I can see is that he is a hanyo, and his intentions for the shikon jewel aren't any better than... than the Spider's. I shouldn't hold that against him though. He's always wanted that, and for a while, I thought he might have changed his mind. But I just can't be sure of anything anymore. So I just lay there, welcoming Koga's visits, but never leaving the bed except for an occasional bathe. I didn't want to run into them again, I didn't want to have to see the faces of those who would never hurt me. I didn't want to see InuYasha's face...

And soon the hours turned into days, and the days turned into nights, and the nights faded into months of nothingness. Kyoko came to talk to me after a while, to try to get me up and outside. I refused every time she came in. The boy, my boy, seemed to only want to stay with me as well. He never left my side, he never went anywhere without me. So, I did my best to mother him. But with my mind twisted as far as it is, I don't think I'm doing as good as a job that I should. But he seems happy, even though a smile never does grace his lips. He says he loves me, even though that love won't reach his eyes. Every thing that he says or does never does seem to be completed fully, but I don't mind it. He has a right to be broken. Naraku is his father, and I, just as dirty as any whore, am his mother. I almost wish he would run away just so he doesn't have to be pained by the sight of me. But he stays, for an unknown reason. The voice that I hear in my mind every once in a while would tell me why, but her words always slip out of my grasp, like water in a broken glass. That voice was me, the rational side of me. What I used to be. So, at least, a part of me knew the answer, even if I couldn't quite grasp it. I try to ignore it, because if I do, the pain isn't as strong.

The pain is always with me, always taunting me, and my memories are always there to hurt me. But it does go away once in a while. It's usually when he's around. When Koga is there to be with me.

He is my outlet I guess, my reason to be able to hold onto the life. He's a reminder of the person I used to be, someone I can face without feeling the guilt of hurting them. I don't know why I don't think like that when I'm around him. Maybe it is because he saved me. Or maybe it's just because I felt safe for the first time in such a long time when I saw him. I don't know. Maybe someone from my home would call it love, but that can't be it. I don't know what love is anymore. I've already told him that. I doubt that I will ever love again, or that I will ever return to the person I used to be. I can hear the real Kagome every once in a while yelling at me to pick up my pieces and move on. I just can't do that... not now, and I doubt I'll never be able to. Even though I want to so badly, even thought that's the only thing I want in this life now. It just seems so out of reach, so impossible. So, I didn't try. I just loved the moments where Koga came to see me, I just held my son close to me.

He would speak to me sometimes, or he would just look at me with his red eyes, the red eyes that tried to suck my soul into their depths. I couldn't read them; I couldn't find any of his emotion buried in their depths. It confused me beyond reason. Even Kyoko made the comment that her powers wouldn't work on him. I tried not to think about it. But I have a hard time not thinking about the things that hurt me, as well as the things that confuse me. Constantly I remember my encounters and nights with Naraku, and each time the pieces of my heart shatter into even smaller pieces. I just lose myself more and more.

I noticed he likes to walk in when I'm feeling my worst, just like he did now, his blue eyes staring at me with care. Blue eyes that were full of love and understanding, instead of the red ones that had been filled with so much evil and hate, the ones that had stared into mine as the man had hurt me. That's why I loved his eyes, the blue ones. They weren't filled with hate, they just loved.

And I keep my eyes on his as he says my name softly, coming over to sit next to me. I can't help but curl myself up a little bit more. The boy seems to hide behind me.

"How are you doing?" Koga's voice is warm and caring as he turns his attention to me.

It hurts to speak, the air running up my throat seeming to cut it to ribbons, "I'm... I'm ok."

He pauses before he speaks again, "What about the kid?"

"...He's ok." My voice becomes scratchy and painful.

"Good."

I know that's a lie somehow. He doesn't care about the boy. The child is a threat to him and his pack. There is no real way he could possibly _like _the child. I don't blame him for that. Koga is a family person. He's a leader of a pack, the prince of the wolves. He has the right to not like the child. He has the right to hate the boy. I understand that. And I would do anything to help the wolves if I weren't this... this... broken. But I can't refuse this child, despite whom he came from. There is something... there is something that keeps me holding on to him. To Kumo. I just hope that Koga can understand that.

"...Is there anything you want to tell me?" Koga asked without accusation, truly curious and truly worried.

More memories and more pain arise at his question. But before I can speak, the child speaks up.

"Koga-san," I can hear the fear and see it in the boy's red eyes, "Do you hate me?"

Koga looks at him for a long while then, blue eyes connecting with the red ones. The words he then speaks are hesitant, full of emotion I can no longer comprehend.

"...I have no reason to hate you for the moment."

"I won't hurt you." His words are quick and still with fear, "I won't hurt anyone. I can't. I don't know how. And why would I? I mean, that would hurt my mother. I don't want to do that."

Koga's eye twitched when Kumo called me "mother."

"And how can I take your word for that?"

"...I don't know."

Then the child stops talking and buries himself in my arms. I can't find the will to reject him my embrace.

"I don't see it in him," I began, ignoring the pain in my throat, "I don't see that... evil. It was in Kagura and Kanna. It was in all of his minions. But I don't see it in him... I don't think there is any connection left, besides the fact that he...," There is pain in remembering his face, "...that he is the creator of him..."

Koga doesn't answer right away, "...Neither do I."

I can't tell if he's lying or not. And truthfully, there is no room in my mind for me to care. There is just too much of him filling up my mind, too much pain and too many memories invading the corridors of my mind. I just have to trust Koga.

He is my savior. He is my support system. He is the one I trust completely, the one I know that won't abandon me.

...Maybe I love him... Maybe I don't...

Frankly, I don't know _what _I know anymore. I'll just have to live with that. And he'll help me. He wants to help me. And I don't think he'll ever understand how much that means to me in a time like this.

"Do you want me to go?" his question was abrupt.

I shook my head, not wanting him to leave. But after that, silence reigned again. Neither of us can ever seem to stop these awkward silences from coming...

"Is there anything you want to do?" he asks after a while, "I'll take you somewhere. I'll take you wherever you want to go."

My eyes travel back to the floor. My friends run through my mind and my heart aches again, like it always does. It hurts... It really hurts... Thoughts of tearing those feelings out of my body plague me whenever they come. But I can't do that, can I? And I can't make those feelings go away by doing what my heart wants me to do. If I go see them I'll only hurt them. The mere sight of me... they'll worry more than they do now, they'll be plagued with the theories they create about what happened to me when I won't tell them myself. It will just cause them pain. I can't do that to them. Even if straying from them now hurts them, going to them will only make it worse... Right? Or am I wrong? I know them. I know what they want to do. They are like Koga – they want to help me. They want to pity me and they want to comfort me. Maybe I'm just lying to myself. Maybe I'm hurting them more by staying away...

Hell, I don't know.

"Kagome?" his voice rings loud and clear, breaking me away from the argument I'm having with myself.

_I want you to be happy._..

He's said that to me when I used to be sane. He says it now too.

_No matter what you do I'll always love you... I'll always be there. I'll always protect you. No matter what._

Even if my friends can't accept what Naraku has turned me into, even if they turn their eyes away from my broken form and turn their backs on me, I will always have a place to return to, won't I? Koga will be there. He'll be there to care and to love, even if they can't be...

I won't be alone.

"Can I..." I pause, trying to decide if this is the right thing to do, "...Can I go see my friends."

He smiles, nodding and sweeping me up into his arms, child and all. It seems that my wanting to see my friends, including InuYasha, doesn't bother him. That makes something inside me become... happy... and relieved. I don't know why and I don't quite remember why it would do such a thing.

And it makes me feel..._ better_.

* * *

When she came out they could do nothing but stare. No words were spoken as the breeze whispered in their ears and weaved through their hair, any movements they made becoming completely silent to their ears. They just saw her...

InuYasha had stood slowly, raising himself from his seat ever so cautiously and most likely without thought, his golden eyes covering every inch of her body. Bandages were visible, but her wounds weren't what bothered him first. It was her eyes. There was no longer any spark, no happiness to be seen. They were just... hollow. There wasn't any real emotion there, just a type of nothing. Just... sadness and pain that couldn't quite be seen, the type of eyes a dead person would have. It made him shiver. Those eyes reminded him of Kikyo so fiercely it wasn't normal. She was too... dead.

What had happened?

"Kagome..." his voice was a whisper, inaudible to those around him as he took his first step towards her.

She stopped walking towards him then, Koga and the kid standing not too far behind her. But InuYasha just took another somewhat bold step towards her, trying to be as cautious as possible. She didn't stop him or flinch back, she just watched him as he came closer. And soon his steps became faster and more confident, the space in between him and her shrinking as the seconds passed by.

"Kagome..." his voice was louder, more defined.

Before he knew it he was in a jog, her form seconds away from his reach.

Suddenly, Koga's eyes caught his. A message was sent, loud and clear, between the two and InuYasha stopped in his tracks.

_Stop running at her. You'll scare her._

He had forgotten in that one moment, in the seconds that he had been entranced by her. He had to remember she wasn't what she had been. He didn't even know what she was, but she was different – more fragile than before in both mind and body.

But, despite whether he ran, jogged, or walked, he was standing in front of her now. Her beauty – her empty, desolate beauty – was entrancing him and scaring him. His heart cried out to her, his instincts yelling at him to hold her and kill Naraku.

Cautiously, he reached a hand out towards her.

She watched it carefully as Koga's stare drilled into InuYasha's forehead.

...Contact.

But it didn't last long. Her shoulder soon slid out from under his touch, the action not a flinch or caused by fear. She just didn't want to be touched.

"Kagome," his voice was unusually soft, "...Kagome, what did he do?"

He regretted his words automatically – he didn't need Koga's glare to tell him that he'd just done something.

Kagome's face had paled and her eyes had become even more hollow than before. She seemed more distant and much more detached from the world, as if she was only the remnant of a ghost left to wander the earth. It struck him like a sword to the heart or a hand through his stomach. He had caused her pain yet again, he had caused her to lose a bit more of herself. He couldn't even bring himself to care when Koga reached out and took her hand in his own.

"You're an idiot InuYasha." The words were murmured, meant only to be a statement and not the start for an argument or fight.

InuYasha couldn't even respond anyways, for he knew it was true.

Kagome closed her eyes then and took a deep breath, color returning to her skin and slight life being revealed when she reopened her eyes.

"N-No, Koga," her voice was weak and quiet, almost painful to hear or accept in InuYasha's mind, "I-It's alright. He just wants to know... You can't bla-blame him for that."

Koga didn't seem to agree, but he nodded despite that.

And so a reuniting was sparked there in that spot. They approached her and embraced her, Kagome trying the best to be who she was. And that girl, the Kagome she had once been, began to emerge once more in those moments. But those moments were fleeting, a time that could not be lived forever. So when a tearful reuniting was ended that night, that girl shrank back into the back of her mind. There wasn't a place for her in the real world any longer. But that girl was beginning to heal. The actions of worry, relief, love, and care had begun to scratch over the words Naraku had carved into her skull, the real Kagome speaking over them so loud that the man was almost inaudible.

_They love you! _

_They care for you!_

_The want to help you!_

_They won't abandon you!_

But the voice of the girl that once was could only last so long. That part of her was not as strong as the fear and the hatred. Soon, words were being replayed in her mind and memories were coming in an unending reel of emotion, Naraku's voice once again gaining power but never able to erase the scratch marks over his carvings.

And soon it was over. She was back inside, the reunion far behind her, lying on the bed with Koga's arms wrapped around her tightly and her own arms wrapped around the child at her side. She was asleep, caught in the tangled web of her nightmares. But it seemed that night after night they were growing weaker, each of them losing the power they had over her.

And so days passed.

As did the weeks.

Until finally the months passed.

And then she remembered something. Actually, she remembered a lot of things. As the days had woven tomorrow she had begun to heal - no, she had begun to see. The blood and tears had been wiped away, a fog that had covered her vision becoming nonexistent. She had remembered what it was like to live, what it was like to be happy. And sometimes she was even happy. Sometimes she actually _forgot _what had happened, even if it was just for a brief moment. Her friends became happier as she did, though Koga seemed a bit happier than all of them. Kyoko was overjoyed and just as hyper as always, a pillar of support that stood beside Koga and the others to catch Kagome whenever she did fall.

And one day, she remembered something she had thought she would never be able to remember.

She knew what _love_ was.

And then, with that realization, the Spider Bite began to fade away.


	6. Confrontation

**A.N. Remember, back in Chapter 4: _Confusion_, InuYasha left Tetsusaiga in the caves. I didn't mention that he got it back XD  
**

* * *

Over time it the world had grown cold and the days had grown short, but it had little effect on anyone. As demons, most of the wolves were barely affected by the cold. And for children it meant snow to throw at unsuspecting parents. Kagome had been victim to a good number of snowballs herself – though most of them came from adults acting like children. She didn't mind it. In fact, she liked it. There was something about being assaulted with freezing, powdered ice that made her smile.

She had remembered how much she had loved smiling.

Over time her wounds had begun to heal, dying away like the plants did in the winter. But it wasn't gone. It would never really be gone. Like the plants that would grow back in the spring, her memories would never really be gone. She still found it hard to laugh or smile on her own without some outside force causing her to do so. The smiles came more often than the laughter. And talking had never really come back. She spoke to Koga, Kyoko, and her child. The group, her second family, rarely heard her speak. It was as if a spider had nestled in her throat and clogged it up with spider webs and punctured her vocal chords with bites. But she had begun to win the fight. She was determined not to let Naraku blind her and control her any more. She didn't want a life like that. She wouldn't allow herself to be caught in a life like that. With the helping hands of her friends and family she was overcoming these hurtles and obstacles. It made her feel good. It made her feel so much _better_. She liked it that way.

"_Mother?"_

She shifted slightly, ignoring the distant voice and letting the darkness engulf her again.

"_Mother?"_

She sighed, rolling over again.

"Mother?!"

The voice was louder now, unable to ignore in any situation. She rolled to face it, slowly opening her eyes. Red eyes flashed at her and she couldn't help but flinch. If she wasn't expecting to see them, her son's eyes scared her to death.

"Mother, you should wake up now. Everyone else is up. Koga-san and InuYasha-san are getting ready to kill each other with the snow."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. Of course they were trying to kill each other. They always had. But now, because of her wishes, they fought without bloodshed. Instead, they used childish tactics and pranks to get back at one another for something-or-another. But, she knew she had to get up. It was probably around noon anyways. The nightmares had kept her up most of the night...

Groggily, she sat up and shook her head slightly, watching the child run out of the room.

_More snow? _She thought to herself blandly as she began to dress herself, grabbing up her clothes from the edge of the bed, _Hasn't it been cold enough for long enough?_

Standing, she pulled the bottom half of her outfit to its proper position. And slowly she became fully dressed, finishing it up as she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. Kagome then walked out of the room, dusting off her skirt and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. And once the caves opened up to the outside, she was inevitably hit with a snowball on her arm.

Another small smile spread across her face as she spotted Koga, whose expression gave him away as the culprit. There began yet another snowball fight, ending as they built a snowman around the body of a sleeping Kyoko, whom had unfortunately fallen into her sleep outside where childish culprits were at large. And as InuYasha laughed, carving a face into the head of the coffin-acting snow-woman, the growl was audible from beneath the snow. All but the hanyo had been smart enough to run to escape the wrath of the "mind reading" demoness.

He was still wet by the time they sat around the fire, one of the many which had been lit that night. Consequently, he continued to grumble and complain about it without end.

"Oh, stop your god damn whining, dog," commanded Kyoko's son, Kyo, whom appeared to be at least seventeen in a human's perspective, "It's just snow. Be a man and stop crying about it."

InuYasha responded with a low growl, "Watch it wolf, before I hack off one of your arms."

"Bring it," the teen said with the sole purpose of aggravating the hanyo, his eyes gleaming with a mischievous light.

The hanyo only growled, though, for he knew fighting wouldn't solve anything in the current situation.

"Y'know, I think we should get out of here soon." InuYasha announced to no one imparticular, lying back on the snow cleared and grass absent ground behind him, "Kagome needs to get out of this hell hole and we need to search for the jewel shards before Naraku can get to them."

Koga automatically reacted to this, his reaction time no slower than it had ever been, "Maybe in your dreams, mutt. She's not going anywhere with you. No way."

"You can't control her." his words were fierce as he sat up, filled with the venom of a snake, "You can't control her like he did."

The venom didn't sting Koga as much as it stung Kagome, and Koga knew this, "Watch your mouth, you idiot hanyo," he spoke in a snarl, "I'm not controlling her - I'm watching out for her."

"Yeah, and how is that?"

"You let her fall into Naraku's hands. All of this - all of her pain - is your fault. Can't you get that through your think skull? I'm not going to let you take that risk. She's safe here in the caves, where people actually think before they speak. If she goes with you she'll only end up getting hurt more. Can't you see that? Don't you care? You speak before you think, mutt face. Your words will end up hurting her. I'm not going to risk letting that happen to her," he paused slightly, closing his eyes, "But I'm not going to stop her if she wants to go with you. I can't do that. But I will be there for her, whether you like it or not. I'm not going to let your hurt her with your stupidity."

InuYasha jumped up then, fire in his eyes, "Don't you dare order me around, you mangy wolf. Kagome will come with us because she wants to. You'll just have to deal with that. She's not your woman and she won't ever be. And plus, do you want Naraku to win? Do you want him to collect all of the jewel shards? We need Kagome to find the jewel shards. Without her, we'd be searching bl -- Kagome!"

She had left the scene then, fleeing as daggers pierced her heart in the form of his words. The shards... She hated those things. They destroyed her life, the engulfed her and all of her time. They had caused this. Without them, without the shikon jewel, her life would be so much simpler. But she had embraced the task of collecting them with the man she had hated at first. But, no matter how their relationship had grown, she would never ever be able to escape that name and her purpose. The shard detector. She was needed because of that. Without that ability...

She just didn't want to be that. And hearing it made her hurt more than any demon could ever make her hurt.

_They don't need you. You're just a shard detector to them. They can throw you away when you are useless to them, like a broken toy or tool. Yes... a tool. That's what you are to them. To him, especially. Inuyasha sees you as the tool, the key to the puzzle. But that's all you are to him. He pretends to care; he pretends to love so you'll continue doing what you were born for. To find the shards so he can become what he wants to be when the jewel is completed. A demon. Yes, I know about that. He wants to become a demon. But that demon is so ugly, isn't he? A ravenous, blood thirsty dog. He won't care about you then. He won't even know who you are. That will be the time that he throws you away completely. From his mind and from his heart. He'll forget more than your other so-called friends ever will... _She felt the tears stream down her face as she ran into the caves, quite aware that Kyoko had begun to chase after her as the memories broke through the healing scars, _In fact, he might even kill you. He'll cut you up into pieces like the dog you are and taste your blood on his hands. And guess what? He won't care, just like the others. He'll become more of a monster than I am, dear. It's the truth, my love. There's no reason to cry. All things come to an end - remember that. You already have died, haven't you? All that's left is this shell that I have so much pleasure in torturing..._

A sudden pain shocked her back into reality. Tear fogged eyes looked around in confusion as she felt warm blood run down her leg, her gaze turning to see her son clutching on to her so tightly that his nails drew blood.

"Please, mother..." me mumbled, soft tears running down his cheeks, "Please, mother, don't be so sad... It hurts... I don't want to see you like this anymore."

Shock wasn't what she felt then. It was stronger than that. It paralyzed her to the point that she didn't even notice when Kyoko carefully pried Kumo from her leg. She wasn't even aware when Kyoko pulled her down onto a bed, lying her down carefully and sitting beside her. Her voice wasn't even recognized or registered for the longest time... She couldn't see. She couldn't feel. She couldn't even function... She was just so shocked, so hurt that she could possibly do something like this to the child she loved.

But finally shocking blue eyes woke her from her blindness, her name slowly registering in her ears.

"Kagome?" his voice was soft and worried, "Kagome, can you hear me?"

For a moment she just stared at the blue eyes, a bit lost. It almost felt as if reality was crashing down on her for the first time. As if she were realizing she wasn't dreaming.

"Kagome…" he sounded a bit more worried than he had ever sounded before, his palm slightly slapping the cheek of her face to snap her out of whatever stupor she was in, "Kagome, please answer me."

Suddenly, the fog in her vision cleared and she couldn't help but let the tears fall again.

"I'm so sorry Koga…" she choked, "I'm so sorry I'm doing this to all of you… I'm hurting all of you."

She felt his arms wrap around her as he lay beside her, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm… I'm pathetic," she said, trying her best not to slur her words with her crying, "I thought I was better… I thought that I wouldn't hurt like this again… But… But I think his words were true, Koga. And it hurts to think that way."

Softly, the demon tried to hush the miko in his arms, "Kagome, don't ever think that way. His words were only to hurt you – you have to remember that. Nothing of what he said was true. We love you. _I_ love you. You know that, don't you?"

With a shaky inhale, she answered quietly, "I know you love me…"

"Then you don't need to worry about anything. He was lying… please Kagome, if you don't remember that you're never going to be able to get better."

She nodded slightly, pausing for a long minute before speaking again, "…But InuYasha—"

"InuYasha is an idiot, Kagome." Koga interrupted, tucking Kagome's head underneath his chin, "Don't listen to him… he means well half of the time, but he says stupid things when he tries to say anything."

When she said nothing in response, he continued, trying to ignore her disturbing silence, "Now rest. You need your sleep."

* * *

"You are a GOD DAMN IDIOT!" Kyoko raged upon stepping out of the caves, drawing the group's attention to her automatically.

Kyo was the first to act upon this, jumping up to his feet and making a small announcement to the group before taking off, "If you're smart, you'll avoid her at all costs."

"INUYASHA!" Kyoko screamed again, "InuYasha, get your ass out of this den!"

"What!?" the hanyo said, enraged as he stood up, "Why would I do that if Kagome is still here!"

"Because you idiot...!" Suddenly her voice dropped to nothing and she looked as if she was silently fuming for a while, but the next second she was face to face with InuYasha after she had cleared a few dozen feet in seconds, her voice dropping to a whisper, "Because all your words have hurt her. I'm not going to let you hurt her anymore."

He just stood there, a bit frozen. But then, of course, his words flowed out again with the arrogance and idiocy they always had.

"You're full of shit!"

"Oh, I'm full of shit, am I?"

"Fuck yes!"

"Then let me tell you something…" she growled, placing her hand on his shoulder, pausing before she spoke again, "Remember the pain you felt when they told you your mother died? Remember how much that hurt? Her pain is more than a million times worse than that. And she had begun to begin to heal from that, and then you go and call her a 'shard detector'?! What the hell is wrong with you?! You know she hates that. You have always known that is the one thing that would push her over the edge. It makes her feel worthless. And right now, because of what he did to her, she feels worthless. You've only made it worse. That is why I want you out of here. Away from her."

InuYasha took a nervous step back, "I don't believe you."

"Then believe her and not me if that serves you any better," Kyoko growled in response, advancing closer, "Didn't you see her tears, you fucking idiot?!"

InuYasha couldn't respond then, his eyes just growing wider than before. So Kyoko took the chance to take hold of the silence.

"Get. Out. Of. Here…" she paused, her glare turning even more deadly than before, "Now!"

So silence reined then, both demoness and hanyo not ready to back down on their positions. But, after moments of glaring at one another, InuYasha took his actions, going against everything he had done in the past.

He took one step back, turned on his heel…

…And left in silence.

* * *

Changing his center of gravity mid air, the demon lord flipped twice in the air to land gracefully on his feet. His hand was gripped tightly on the hilt of his sword that was pointed at the spider hanyo, his golden eyes blazing with untamed fire.

"As graceful as ever, Sesshomaru," commented the grotesquely deformed spider hanyo, "You seem to put your all into this fight, which is a shame for it is not enough to beat me in this moment."

The inu yokai growled deep in his throat, "This Sesshomaru is no where near his full power, Naraku."

The hanyo smirked, "Then how about you show me your full power?"

"It is not necessary."

"I would think it would be, with your ward's life at stake." And on cue the dark hanyo lifted the small child up into the air, her small and fragile body wrapped almost too tight in his tentacle.

Sesshomaru's anger was almost visible, "You will unhand her."

"I think not. She is nothing to me, but she is something to you. Your attachment to this little mortal is your weakness, Sesshomaru."

"I have no such attachment to anyone." Sesshomaru growled, his automatic reaction everything but the truth.

"Then is she is nothing to you, I have no use for her." The hanyo said, not affected when the young child screamed under the increased pressure of his grip.

Sesshomaru was off, blending in with his surroundings to become nearly invisible at the speeds he was reaching, his sword's glint in the moonlight the only thing visible in this night. But Naraku was too quick for him it seemed. Of course, one with Sesshomaru's speed could easily smoke Naraku in any sort of race, but with the cover of night and the hanyo's expert abilities of cloaking himself into the shadows quickly, the spider hanyo was just out of reach when Sesshomaru's blade collided with the dirt ground. The child's scream once again echoed through the night, a deafening crack following along with it.

"Shame it wasn't her back, I guess..." Naraku commented amidst the screaming, his form perfectly visible with Sesshomaru acute eyes, "But those ribs will amount to the same amount of pain at least."

"Unhand her." Sesshomaru's voice was loud and clear as a cloud shielded the moon's light; ringing through the night with an icy bitterness stronger than it had ever been before, yet just as calm and collected as always.

"You of all people should know that I will do no such thing."

"Oh just shut your fucking mouth already!" the voice was loud and brash, echoing over the screams, "Just shut up and get out of our god damn lives!!"

In one quick moment a thud echoed through the area and the screaming stopped to be immediately followed by the soft cry audible to all demonic ears. And the savior of the child backed off then, the motion known by the soft patter of feet on the ground. Silver and gold then glinted in the night as the cloud uncovered the moon, the red clad hanyo cradling the child carefully in his arms.

"Your help is unneeded, hanyo." The taiyokai, though slightly grateful for the appearance of his younger brother, found this no time to show any weakness or thanks towards the people surrounding him. But InuYasha didn't seem to be listening. Instead, he was speaking his own mind.

"You bastard..." the hanyo's voice was dark and soft, filled with a flame that only he could express, "First you mess with me and Kikyo. You destroyed what we were and what we could have been. You obliterated that future. And now you're doing this. You're harming the innocent. You harmed Kagome to get at me. To get at all of us that were close to her. But because she meant nothing to Sesshomaru you turn to his ward – to a child? You're the lowest of the low and I've always been aware of that. But you're turning to kill children now? Even I never thought the likes of _you _would go this low..."

"Your words mean nothing to him hanyo." Sesshomaru said coldly, not caring for his younger brother's speech, "Now leave with her. This Sesshomaru will find you later. This is _my _fight."

_I want to fight... _his opinion would not be voice to his surroundings, _I want to fight and I want... I want to kill."_

The blood began to pulse through his veins at an alarming rate, firing him up to a deadly point. His anger was boiling and his vision was fading, emotions running haywire as one side of him began to kill the weaker.

He dropped Tetsusaiga.

_I want to kill. I want to fight. I want... I want his head!_

His vision turned red.

_I want blood... his blood!_

Pain engulfed his being as his form began to shift and change, sharpening and growing teeth digging into his lips and his enlarging nails scratching against the tips of his fingers. He was losing his fight against himself; he was letting a bit of his soul lip out of his grasp completely... He was almost strong, he was almost powerful, and he was almost deadly...

And then there was Kagome, calling him out of his clouded mind.

His nails shrunk and his teeth returned to normal, his eyes returning to the deep gold they had always been.

She hated it when he allowed his demonic side to take over...

And for once in his life, InuYasha listened to his brother. He just turned on is heel and left as quickly as he had come, silence reigning for that split second that the fight did not have life.

--

Rin's sobs were quiet, but the scent of the tears still stung at InuYasha's nose.

"Y'know," he said as he carefully laid her on a spot of grassy ground, "Crying will just make it worse. Try to think of something else for a minute."

There was a chocked yes from the girl in response and soon, to his surprise, the tears ceased. The hanyo assumed it was probably from taking so many of his older brother's orders that the girl could possibly pull this off.

"Can I look at your wounds?" he asked carefully, kneeling beside the girl, "That bone break sounded pretty bad."

Another chocked yes reached his ears again, and so the hanyo dug up every memory he possibly could of Kagome treating his wounds. But, unfortunately, his healing rate was much faster than this girl's would ever be. It would be different... and he didn't have anything to bandage her with. So, instead, he dug up the grave of his childhood memories. His mother had taught him how to deal with bones, partially because he had suffered from a few broken ones himself when she was alive, as did she.

So he then carefully touched her ribcage on both sides, attempting to make his rough hands as smooth as possible. In all, he found two completely spit ribs that would need to be re-aligned and what seemed to be one rib popped out of her spine.

Taking in a deep breath, he warned her softly that this was not going to be pleasant. She didn't seem to care, surprising him for the second time that night.

He decided to deal with the dislocated rib first. It would probably be the easiest. So, positioning his hands where they needed to be, he used a gentle force to pop the bone back into place. The girl uttered a small squeal of pain as the bone loudly returned to its proper place, but otherwise she made no noise. But the scent of tears began to sting InuYasha's nose again.

"Ok, one down." He said quietly, moving one hand in front of her face, "...Bite down on my hand."

And once again, she followed orders without question, yet again surprising the hanyo greatly. Either this girl really trusted him or was extremely naïve and trusted everyone she met. But it didn't really matter to him.

And a couple of painful moments later – for both of them – Rin's ribs were back into place and InuYasha had made a makeshift corset-like bandage for Rin's chest with his robe of the fire rat. He wasn't going to leave her to collect any fire wood, so they sat in the dark, the girl sobbing very slightly from both pain and fright. And soon, it proved to be too much for the hanyo.

"Come here," he said quietly, "You can sit in my lap if you want."

The girl immediately moved into his hold, grateful for the warmth and the security. He lightly let his arms wrap around her, securing her in his hold. She reminded him so much of Kagome it almost scared him. Maybe that was why she stuck around with Sesshomaru. Kagome probably would have done the same if Sesshomaru was his and her enemy and she had been in Rin's position...

Rin soon fell asleep in his arms, but he stayed awake and alert. They were far from the battle site where Naraku and Sesshomaru had been, but he wasn't taking any chances. And plus, Sesshomaru could show up at any minute.

_This night has been pretty shitty, _he thought blandly, talking to himself since there was no one else to talk to, _First, I hurt Kagome. Then that bitch Kyoko kicks my ass out of that stupid den. Then I run into Naraku and Sesshomaru and I can't even have a go at either of them. And then there's this kid I'm taking care of now... Today sucks. It fucking sucks. _

_What else could go wrong? Seriously, what the fuck else could go wrong?!_

"Take her to the miko."

InuYasha about jumped out of his skin then, having been to deep in his thoughts to realize that Sesshomaru had come into the clearing. But it wasn't long before the hanyo began to speak again.

"What happened to Naraku?"

"...He fled."

"You let him _get away_!?" InuYasha was furious then, not caring that his voice had woken the child up, "You let him get away after all that he's done?!"

"I care not of what he has done to you and your companions."

"You care what he does to her."

"This Sesshomaru protects those who follow under him. It is my duty," the demon lord explained coldly and coolly, "And in doing so, I am commanding you to take her to your miko to heal. This Sesshomaru has not the equipment to properly care for her."

"You mean you don't know how to take care of her because you've never dealt with mortal injuries." InuYasha commented rudely, glaring up at his brother underneath the night sky. And when his brother did not respond, he continued on, "But either way, Kagome can't help her."

"What has happened to your miko to make her incapable of doing such? This Sesshomaru is aware of how the woman acts. She would jump at the opportunity to help another mortal – especially a child."

"Whether or not it is your business, she is incapable because she can't even help herself at the moment," InuYasha growled, anger flashing through his eyes, "Naraku's top priority is not you Sesshomaru. He does his best to hinder our abilities to hurt him as well."

"So you did not protect your miko?"

"Look who's talking. Your kid doesn't seem to be in any better shape."

Then an angry and awkward silence took over the clearing, neither brother breaking it until InuYasha could no longer stand it.

"You're going to have to take her somewhere el—"

"I am aware that not only was your mortal mother a hime, but she was skilled in the medical arts. This Sesshomaru could only assume that she passed down some of her knowledge to you in the light of how Rin's wound has already seemed to be cared for as properly as they can be in this moment." Sesshomaru interrupted, his tone stranger than InuYasha than ever heard it.

"What's it to you?" InuYasha was apparently suspicious.

"Then you will travel with this Sesshomaru until she has been healed completely."

* * *

Kagome had long been asleep when Kyoko came into the room where the miko and Koga lay silently, the demon holding the miko close in his arms.

"What happened out there?" Koga asked quietly, "There was a shitload of yelling."

Kyoko laughed nervously, "...I kicked InuYasha out."

He didn't respond right away, just looked up at the fellow wolf with a bland look.

"You kicked him_ out_?"

"Well, I'm tired of him not thinking before he says something." She explained, dropping down to the ground in a sitting position, "I'm tired of watching her be heard because of his idiocy. I can't just sit by quietly while the stupidity that pours out of that boy's mouth hurt her. He doesn't even realize it! That's not the right type of person to have around her right now, even if she wants him here."

"I'm not mad..." Koga said quietly, shifting slightly in his laying position on the bed, "But if she wants him back here you've got to go get him."

She sighed, "I guess so."

After a following moment of silence the demoness stood up, aware that Koga had nothing more to say to her. And when she reached the exit to the small room, she took one final look over her shoulder.

"Is she doing any better?"

He closed his eyes and didn't respond as the woman left the room.

He just didn't know the answer to that question. He knew what he wanted the answer to be, but in truth...

Frankly, he doubted he would ever know for sure.


	7. Do I Love You?

The darkness engulfed her, but she was peaceful. There wasn't anything there for her to remember and there wasn't anything there for her to fear. It was just nothingness. She was alone. She was safe...

A voice came softly into the chambers of her nothingness, but she tried to ignore it.

But it came again, clearer.

"_You awake yet, lazy?"_

She ignored it. It was probably just her brother here to ignore her in the early morning once again. Maybe throwing something hard at him would shut him up...

"_Are you going to wake up or not?"_

She realized then that it wasn't her brother. The voice was too deep...

She was shaken slightly without care as whatever she was laying on shifted. Suddenly, she could feel the rise and fall of the feet of the person who was carrying her.

"_Just wake up already!" _whoever it was seemed annoyed, _"It's nearly noon anyways."_

Slowly, she opened her eyes. She was in the middle of the ground paved road, perched upon InuYasha's back. It seemed that she was in the right place... but yet again it seemed wrong.

"Finally," the hanyo groaned, "You've been asleep forever, you lazy ass."

"Shut up," she grumbled, yawning. He didn't seem to hear her.

"Now get off my back, Kagome." He stopped walking, "I'm tired of carrying you."

She sighed as she slid off the hanyo's back, stretching when her feet touched solid ground. Her eyes managed to catch the view of her friend's smiling faces before reality shifted beneath her feet. _  
_

Night was then there and she was sitting down around a blazing fire, but she seemed unfazed by the unexplained change of time and setting in those last couple seconds. It seemed right. It was normal. Nothing was wrong.

"You know," InuYasha said blandly, flicking a stick into the fire, "Killing Koga was the best thing I ever did."

Kagome's eyes grew wide. What was he talking about? Koga wasn't dead... right? She had just been with him, hadn't she?

"He won't bother us anymore, will he Kagome?" the hanyo continued, "And neither will the others. I'm glad I got rid of them too. The kit was really starting to get on my nerves."

What...?

InuYasha had killed Koga? And now he was saying he had killed Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara too?

...Wait.

Since when had she been traveling with InuYasha?

Then InuYasha wasn't there anymore. Instead, there was a man she couldn't quite see as unexplained shadows darkened his face from a clear view. But she could feel him. She knew who it was.

When she was rammed against the tree it turned into a wall.

"Well?" the man's voice was invading her mind and soul, digging knives into her sanity, "Are we going to have to go through this again, or are you finally willing to submit?"

She wrenched and struggled against his grip on her, but she felt useless. Powerless to help herself, she couldn't do anything but continue to fight. Naraku's face was so clear to her now, his voice so loud in her mind that it was trapping her and cornering her in her own mind. She couldn't escape.

"You amaze me, Kagome," his voice was menacingly calm, "Every time I break you, somehow, you still have some fight left in you for the next time."

She tried to scream, but no sound could be summoned.

And then he was on her and she was hurt...

Violated...

Broken...

Beaten...

Helpless...

"_Kagome, wake up!"_

Sweat dripped down her body as she burst forth from the prison of her nightmares, her hands gripped close to her chest as she found herself sitting up in the caves of the wolf tribe, Koga's hand set in comfort on her shoulder. Her heart felt like it was going to explode or break and her mind felt as if it had shattered...

She didn't even realize that Koga had eased her back into a laying position on the bed, his arms wrapped tightly around her. It took her a while to realize that she was even crying.

"Kagome..." his voice was comforting, "Kagome, you're safe. It was just a nightmare..."

She couldn't find the will to sleep after that. Nothing Koga said truly put her at ease.

Naraku wasn't dead. He was out there somewhere, waiting for her. He seemed to lurk around every corner, ready to jump out at her and destroy her even more.

It was starting to eat away at her all over again...

* * *

InuYasha walked not far behind his brother, lost in thought. He couldn't believe he was doing this...

Rin shifted awkwardly in his arms, but he barely noticed. All he cared about was how stupid he probably looked as this kid's god damned maid.

"I'm surprised you agreed to do this, little brother," Sesshomaru said softly, "Is it possible that you have a soft spot for my ward? Or is it just mortal children in general? You do seem to take a liking to that race, though you have little to no luck with the women."

InuYasha growled deep in his throat, "Just shut up. It wasn't like I had a choice if I could have come or not. You would have killed me right there."

"You are not defenseless."

"With a child in my arms I am." InuYasha retorted quickly, expecting no response from his brother past that point.

And, just as he had thought, none came. Once again, Lord I-have-a-stick-shoved-up-my-ass was quiet and emotionless.

_I wonder if he gets that attitude from his mother or our father... _InuYasha wondered blandly, unable to find any other questions he could ask himself to keep him entertained. It was proving to be dull traveling with his brother and he hadn't even been traveling with him for more than ten hours yet. He wondered why he hadn't just dropped the kid and took a run for it. Sesshomaru wouldn't have followed him – the yokai wasn't that desperate to find someone to take care of his kid. InuYasha was sure the man had someone somewhere else he could bully into doing what he wanted them to. He had to. He ruled the Western Lands, didn't he?

The only reason he didn't flee was because of the kid though. Sesshomaru had been right in a sense. He always had had a sort of a soft spot for children that weren't in the best of situations. His situations as a child had never once been good unless he had been alone with his mother. But even his mother hadn't lasted long – she had slipped through his fingers when death had stolen her away from him at that young age. So maybe it was just because he knew what being helpless felt like at that age. Maybe it was just pity. He wasn't sure and he usually didn't spend time thinking about it. Things were as they were. He'd just have to deal with it.

It was long into the night and long past their last words to one another before any words were spoken again.

"What happened to the miko?" Sesshomaru asked calmly, his question random but somehow with purpose, "You have no right to refuse me an answer."

"The hell I do!" InuYasha's yell was harsh but quiet, "What happened to her... How do you even know that something happened to her?"

"You will answer this Sesshomaru."

"I'll answer you when I damn well feel like it! And there is no way you're getting an answer without answering me first."

Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks and turned to face InuYasha, his golden glare deadly and bone chilling, "Naraku speaks of many things in the time of battle, baby brother," and before InuYasha could blink Sesshomaru was at his neck, the yokai lord's hands cold against his slowly collapsing throat, "And in the future you will address me properly. You are under my rule now, little brother. You are in my lands and in my party. You will give me the respect I was given at my birth. You do not question this Sesshomaru."

InuYasha just glared back at him, his hold still firm on the young child. He didn't care what shit was spilling out of his elder brother's mouth now. He had his rights, whether they were of his own creation or if they could be applied in the real world. He didn't have to do anything Sesshomaru told him to do if he wanted to. Wasn't _he_ the stronger one? Wasn't _he_ the one with Tetsusaiga?

But then again, maybe it would be smart to play it safe.

"Whatever." His response was slightly chocked as Sesshomaru's grip was crushing his vocal box and throat, but it held no respect. But, despite the face, Sesshomaru released him.

"Naraku said he had taken your miko as his own." Sesshomaru began, turning around and continuing to walk the way of the destination that only he knew, "Is this true?"

InuYasha's mind froze for a second, "What are you talking about?"

Sesshomaru seemed to have something similar to a laughing tone in his voice, "Do you not know of your own comrade's condition?"

Suddenly InuYasha's voice became fiercer than it had ever been, "Why did Naraku say that? Kagome isn't his property and she never will be!"

Sesshomaru almost seemed to sigh, but something like that was too low for a person of his status to do, "Not as property, hanyo, but as a mate."

InuYasha stopped walking all together.

_What... _his thought process seemed slowed by some foreign feeling, _She can't be his... his mate... There is just no way. She wouldn't... She isn't his! There's just no way. I thought... don't both the people have to agree? Rape is different than mating... There isn't anyway this could be possible... There's just no fucking way!_

"When this Sesshomaru last encountered her at the wolf's den, her scent was giving off the clear message that she had mated. I made the assumption that you had finally claimed her."

InuYasha's mind didn't seem to work properly anymore. He couldn't take another step. It was a miracle he was able to hold onto Rin any longer.

"Are you shocked, InuYasha?" Sesshomaru stopped walking as well, but did not spare his brother a look, "Are you so surprised that when you do not protect the people around you that harm comes their way in these times? This Sesshomaru was aware that your mental capabilities to process a situation were not high, but this show of stupidity and ignorance seems to have proven my previous thoughts wrong, baby brother. I think that it may be possible that you have just lowered even farther down in this Sesshomaru's view..." the demon lord paused momentarily before speaking again, "Has the truth registered in your brain yet, InuYasha?"

When the hanyo did not answer and continued to remain in his stupor, Sesshomaru could no longer resist the opportunity. Now that InuYasha was part of his party, one of his temporary wards per say, he could not abuse him without reason. But when the opportunity came, such as this time, he would seize it.

With the punch to the face to knock the hanyo out of his stupor, Sesshomaru had transferred Rin into his own arm before the hanyo had hit the ground. The hanyo's reaction was quick and immediate. Attacks were coming the demon lord's way automatically, each one dodged completely and with grace until, somehow, one punch came into contact with his forehead, knocking him into the air. The demon lord managed to land on his feet though, evading the humiliation of being laid out by his younger brother.

"This fight is pointless, baby brother."

"You punched me."

"This Sesshomaru merely took the liberty of knocking you out of your stupor."

"So people aren't allowed to think in your present?" InuYasha shot out, anger apparent in every inch of his body, "Are people not allowed to feel emotion and shock in your presence? Are we all supposed to be like you? I can't do shit like that! There is no fucking way in hell that I would ever become as cold as you are. I posses the ability to feel emotion when things happen to the people around me, Sesshomaru, and doing so is not a crime. Yeah, it comes from being part human, but I swear I've seen damn _rock walls _expressing more emotion than you ever could!"

Sesshomaru did not respond to this. He just merely turned around and headed the direction he knew they were supposed to be going. His brother's opinions meant nothing to him. But the knowledge his brother possessed was something to him.

"What happened to the miko?"

InuYasha growled from his walking spot behind him, "It's not any of your business."

"You will answer me."

A long paused passed before InuYasha responded, "I'm not sure. She won't tell me. I have no right to know, just as you do."

"Your deductive skills are poor as well." Sesshomaru stated blandly, not giving InuYasha room to speak as he continued, "If your miko is indeed Naraku's mate that would mean that she was raped. And in knowing Naraku's personality as well as this Sesshomaru does, it would be obvious that she was not raped just once. It was repetitive. Torture was something he inflicted upon her, as it matches his personality. Whether or not this torture is verbal or physical would be determined by this miko's state of body and mind. If it was verbal, he repeated himself cruelly while inflicting damage upon her person. He made sure she believed his words. He broke her in both body and soul."

InuYasha's eyes were closed as these words of theory – the words of the truth, most likely – were processed through his mind. Emotions were rolling off of him in waves that he knew Sesshomaru could sense, but he didn't care.

He had been an idiot.

In his own way, he had hurt Kagome.

His inability to protect her had ruined her.

_He_ had been the cause of all this.

...Not Naraku.

* * *

"Mother?"

Kagome looked down at the small boy in her lap, his red eyes meeting hers with mixed emotions.

"Yes?" her voice was near to a whisper when she spoke to him, her hand ruffling his hair.

"Mother... Where'd the dog-boy go?"

Kagome closed her eyes, turning her head away from her child, "He left for a while."

"Oh," the boy uttered quietly, leaning up against his mother's chest, staring up at sunrise, "Mother... Are you happier now?"

Kagome opened her eyes, shifting slightly against the outer wall of the caves, jostling her boy slightly, "...Right now I am. Why?"

"Because you had a nightmare," he explained softly, "I don't like having nightmares... so I thought you wouldn't either."

Kagome looked down at her son tentatively, "When have you had nightmares?"

He didn't answer her, instead, he just cuddled closer to her chest. Without much thought, Kagome pulled him closer to her, her arms warm on his cold skin.

"Mother?"

"Yes?"

"What did...? What did my father do to you?"

_Blood... Sweat... Tears..._

"Many things."

_Scars... Pain... Abuse..._

"Do you _hate_ him for what he did?"

_Hate... Anger... Fury..._

"It's hard to hate, Kumo."

_...Denial._

"Not for me."

"I know, baby..." Kagome pushed her thoughts to the side in complete success for the first time in so long, bowing her head to rest her cheek on her son's head, "...I know."

And she held the boy for a long time after that until he fell asleep, leaning into Koga's chest when he came to sit beside her when the sun was just above the horizon, nothing disturbing the silence of the makeshift family.

"I love you." His lips were close to her ear, warm air flowing over the side of her face as she leaned against him.

She didn't see Naraku when he muttered those words, "I love you too."

...And maybe she really did.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I know. Short. Sorry. But I just couldn't think of a better way to end this chapter. And Kagome's gettin' better, despite her idiotic dog-friend! But... yeah... don't know how long that'll last. But whatever, all is good that ends good. And hopefully, I won't be mean to the characters come the last chapter (by the way, this story ain't ending any time soon).**

**So, as always, if you want to drop me any ideas, reviews are ALWAYS open for what _you_ _all_ want to happen in the story. And, if you don't have any ideas, leave a review anyways. Reviews are like gas to my mind. Except this gas don't cost no fucking five dollars a gallon! (That's the good part). So, read, review, enjoy. **

**See you next time!**


	8. Hell

"_Don't look down  
Don't look into the eyes of the world beneath you  
Don't look down  
You'll fall down  
You'll become their sacrifice  
Right or Wrong  
Can't hold onto the fear that I'm lost without you  
If I can't feel, I'm not mine  
I'm not real_"

-Evanescence; "The Only One"

* * *

"Has he fallen asleep?" Koga asked quietly, standing at the entrance to the room.

Kagome nodded as she stepped away from the spot where Kumo slept, walking over to Koga.

"Is it alright if we go out for a walk?" he asked quietly, a bit nervous, "I'd like to talk with you."

Kagome nodded once again, silently exiting the room to stand beside the wolf demon. When he held his hand out to her, she took it without much thought, quietly following him as he led her outside of the caves. Her eyes roamed to the spot where her friends stayed, a sort of want to go sit with them present in her mind. But she just followed Koga, who led her along in the same silence underneath the night sky, until he stopped near a rock wall. Without a word, he picked her up, jumping up the rock wall with graceful movements, until finally they stood at the top. All that was there was the flat, large rock surface, a couple of boulders placed close to one another, and the night sky. It really didn't matter how lonely it may have looked, Kagome found it peaceful none the less. They were somewhere that no one else would bother them, a place where only the stars would see them.

"Why did you bring me here?" Kagome asked quietly as she drew her eyes away from the stars, Koga leading her to sit on the boulders.

"I wanted to talk to you while no one else was around, in a place where you could say everything you wanted to and not be overheard." He said quietly as he took a spot to sit beside her, his eyes drawn up at the starry skies, "I thought you would like it."

"...Thank you, Koga." She said softly, quietly placing her hand in his, "You can't imagine how much the things you do mean to me."

"All I care about is your happiness, Kagome." He squeezed her hand a bit tighter, "As long as you're happy, nothing else matters."

And for a long time they just sat there, hand in hand as the stars shined brightly above them. Thoughts crossed through Kagome's mind over the minutes, but she didn't bring herself to ask them. Yet when the silence became too much, she spoke what had been on her mind for the last couple days.

"Koga... have you heard anything from InuYasha?" Kagome was more distant as usual an image of the hanyo passed through her mind.

"No. He hasn't been heard from," Koga sighed as he spoke his next words, "If you want, I can go hunt him down and bring him back."

"...No. I think it will be better for both of us if we're away from one another for a while."

Koga smiled with half a heart, his eyes drawn to Kagome with a bit of sadness.

"You do realize the mutt wants to be there for you, right? As much as I hate to say it, it might be better if you spent some time talking to him."

Kagome sighed, "No. I don't... I don't think he'd take my story as well as you have, Koga. He'd scream... he'd yell... he'd swear his oath against Naraku then let his anger boil. And then he'd wrongfully let his anger out on others, mostly my friends, and he'd be more liable to do something that would get him killed... I don't want him hurt because of me."

"Because of Naraku, you mean," Koga corrected, "You didn't do anything Kagome."

"...That's what you all tell me."

Koga took the chance to grasp the hand he already held with his free hand, making eye contact with her.

"We tell you that because it's true, Kagome. You know that it's true. You didn't do anything to deserve what he did to you, and you can't think that you did. All you ever did was try to protect the people around you. There is nothing wrong in that."

"...I know..." her eyes were becoming moist with tears, "But I just can't forget it all, can I?"

"No," he said quietly, "But you can live on, can't you?"

"...Maybe."

"You can, Kagome." He assured her, "I know you can. If there ever was someone strong enough to get through hard times, it's you Kagome. You've done it before. Yes, this time the situation is different. What's happened can't be ignored. But you've got us here with you, Kagome. And we'll be here just like you've always been there for us. I wouldn't have made it out of Mt. Hakurei if it weren't for you! And I promise you Kagome, I'll always be here when you need me."

"I know you will, Koga..." she said, wrapping her free arm around herself, as a tear trailed down her cheek, "...But I just want it to leave. I don't want to feel this pain anymore... I just want things to go back to the way they were."

"Kagome, we'll make it through this somehow..." Koga comforted, pulling Kagome into his lap, "I know we can do it if you're willing to."

She rested back into his warmth, slightly disappointed when she felt the armor resting between them. But it didn't matter. He was there, holding her in his arms, and she liked it this way.

"Did I ever thank you?" Kagome asked quietly, her eyes drawn up towards the skies.

"Thank me for what?"

"For saving me... For being there for me..."

"You don't need to," he said with a soft smile as he too stared up at the skies, "I'm just glad that I did bring you to safety."

"...Thank you," she said, despite his assurance that she didn't need to thank him for a thing.

He just held her closer, turning his gaze down at her as he kissed her forehead softly, following to rest his nose in her hair. He could feel the immediate embarrassment, and it made him chuckle softly.

"You'll be ok," he assured with a whisper, "We'll make it through this."

--

Koga walked quietly through the forest, itching from the distance between him and Kagome. He didn't like leaving her there, despite that everyone else was there for her, and he disliked it even more when he left the den completely. But he needed to get out here and kill something, even if it was just an innocent forest animal. It got the stress out that he usually held over time. But what made this certain private hunt awkward was the fact that he wasn't actually alone. Kumo was following at his side quietly and distantly, never looking up at the wolf demon.

It had actually been his idea to take the child with him, and Kagome had agreed quietly and quite possibly a bit happier than usual, the boy only going because she told him he should. Koga only did this for Kagome, showing him that he would attempt to make some type of bond with the child. But there was still the single obstacle that his mind put in his way of that bond. Naraku.

"Koga-sama?" the child asked timidly, "Why did you bring me?"

Koga had guessed that the child probably thought that he was going to be killed or something, but hadn't commented on his reasons for bringing him out before despite it.

"You should probably learn how to defend yourself, considering the situation." Koga kept his voice calm and even, not bothering to spare the boy a glance, "And your mother needs a day to herself to think things over."

"Oh... Alright..."

Eventually the two found themselves hunting and killing off some small animals, although Koga did most of the work. They didn't actually carry anything they killed with them – well, most of it was any small forms of life that didn't actually carry a lot of meat on their bones – they were satisfied. Koga was getting stress out and Kumo had finally realized he wasn't going to be murdered by the wolf demon. They were both feeling pretty good at that point. That was until, of course, something had to walk in their path that was neither appetizing nor friendly.

When the large bear demon had walked in their path, intent on making himself a meal out of wolf and spider, Koga had insisted that Kumo go take cover while he fought the animal-beast. The demon wasn't strong enough to cast himself a human form, so Koga was particularly worried, but none the less he had to keep the kid safe. He wasn't going to let anyone die (with the exception of Naraku) on his watch.

"Ok, you overgrown animal," Koga taunted as he jumped up into the air, "It's time to go down."

The demon responded with one of the many lines the minor demons used, so it wasn't notable enough for Koga to actually pay attention to. But, because he highly underestimated his opponent, there would be consequences to pay for not paying full attention. The wolf did manage to land a few punches and kicks at first, but when the bear made a fierce swipe at his head while he was in mid air, he had been hit. He hadn't thought the bulky demon would be so fast! The sound of someone screaming hadn't exactly registered in his ears either because of the loud ringing resounding in his ears due to his blow. And, after he cleared the fog from his head and picked himself up off the ground, he noticed that the demon had gotten a hold of the child.

"You won't be very appetizing little, boy," the bear commented as he held Kumo up in the air by his worn obi, "But I'll let your little wolf friend watch you be eaten none the less."

Koga jumped into the air to land an attack and free the child, but the bear moved out of the line of attack with his speed, causing Koga's airborne kick to land in the ground. But when the wolf tried to reposition himself to jump again, he found that he was royally screwed. Because of the added force the shikon jewel had given him, the soft ground had been broken through quite easily, encasing his foot in an earth prison. And, for some reason, he couldn't manage to pull his leg out of it.

"Put him down, you bastard!" Koga yelled, his eyes meeting with the child's fear stricken red ones, "I'm your opponent!"

"I'll get to you later," the bear growled back in his raspy voice, "Let me finish with your kid first."

Koga growled menacingly, but knew he was virtually useless. He still couldn't remove his foot from the trap it had made for itself, and as long as the bear stayed out of arm reach, he'd be worthless. And there was no way such a timid child could fight for himself, demon blood or not.

But Koga couldn't have been more wrong.

"Put me down, you disgrace of a demon." Kumo commanded as the bear threatened to drop him in his mouth, "Or you'll lose much more than your pride."

The words the child had spoken made the large demon laugh, causing the bear to hold the child at eye level.

"What are you going to do, huh? Scream for your mommy?"

"No," the child said in a voice that didn't belong to him, "I'll kill you."

The bear tossed back his head and laughed, unbelieving of the child. But taking your eyes off your opponent was the ultimate mistake. Kumo's red eyes locked with demon's brown ones when the bear looked back at him, entrancing him.

"Any last words?" the child asked darkly.

"You really th—"

Koga had actually covered his ears when the bear roared in agony, dropping the child. But, instead of hitting the ground, Kumo floated to the ground with ease, gracefully landing on his feet. The tentacles that had slithered their way out of the arms of his kimono were wrapped around the bear in a deadly hold, threatening to crush the demon any second.

"Kumo!" Koga yelled, finally managing to free his foot from the ground, jumping to stand behind the boy as he grasped the child's shoulders, "Enough!"

Almost immediately the child slipped into unconsciousness where he stood, the tentacles slithering back to his body without command, leaving the bear demon in a heap on the ground. Koga later killed it in a sort of vengeance, but he tended to the child first. Of course, the child had no real injuries, just a scratch her or there, but the whole second personality had slightly unnerved the wolf demon. There was actually a power in this boy, a power that could very well rival Naraku's. But, apparently, the boy only realized he had it in a moment when his life was threatened. He didn't know how to pull on the power consciously.

But, still, it disturbed Koga.

* * *

"InuYasha-sama, why aren't you with Kagome-chan and the others?" Rin asked quietly as the hanyo bandaged her, Sesshomaru off somewhere or another, "Don't they travel with you?"

"They're off with Kagome. I'll be going back when you're healed." InuYasha commented dryly, cutting the bandage with his teeth, securing it around the child's torso, "And why the hell do you ask so many damn questions?"

"Rin is sorry, InuYasha-sama. Sesshomaru-sama says Rin talks to much too sometimes." The child said as she pulled the top of her kimono back over her shoulders, covering up the bandages with the cloth.

"Stop using your name to refer to yourself, kid. It's annoying." InuYasha said as he stood up, heading towards the shade of a nearby tree, "I don't know why you stupid humans think it's cute."

"Ok, InuYasha-sama, Rin— I mean, I, will stop."

"And stop it with the '–sama' crap too. Call my bastard of a brother whatever you want to call him, but don't use it with me." InuYasha commanded further as he leaned up against the tree, closing his eyes but keeping his senses alert.

"Alright, InuYasha," Rin said as she took her place underneath the shade, absent mindedly plucking at the flowers growing there, "Oh, and thank you for bandaging me!"

"No problem kid. But, seriously, steer clear of battle when Naraku's around. Sesshomaru can't always protect you, y'know."

"Do you doubt in my ability to protect the ones that follow under me, baby brother?"

InuYasha somehow resisted the urge to jump out of his skin as his brother spoke, the hanyo not sensing him until he had spoken.

"Well, with the number of times this girl has gotten kidnapped by Naraku, maybe I _am_ implying something."

But Sesshomaru's attention was directed elsewhere than his brother when Rin ran up to him and hugged his waist, burying her face in his lower abdomen. He didn't bother to pry her off of him, but he acknowledged her by placing his hand on the top of her head. After that she quickly removed herself from him, returning to sit by InuYasha.

"Are we going to start traveling again soon, Sesshomaru-sama?" She asked as she pulled at the grass and flowers she sat around.

"We will go now." And then Sesshomaru was off walking again, silent as ever, as InuYasha and the others followed without much talk.

"Where are we going, Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked after a while, brushing the silver hair that had gotten in her face away from the spot where she sat on InuYasha's back.

"I have duties to tend to back at my House."

InuYasha's mind froze momentarily. By "house," he knew Sesshomaru didn't mean any old house. He meant the house of his family, the Castle of the West. The exact place InuYasha didn't dare step foot in. He'd never been there, but he didn't need to be told he wasn't all that welcome. As a baby, he and his mother had been rejected at the gates, and his mother had simply warned him never to stray to close to the area. Of course, at the time when she had been rejected, they had offered to take him in because of his family ties. But his mother hadn't been stupid. If she had allowed them to take him in, he would not have lived to this day. Sesshomaru would have just had him killed, or drowned, or murdered in some other fashion, no matter that he had been a defenseless baby.

"Will we stay there long, Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin questioned further, her voice putting a halt to InuYasha's thoughts.

"Perhaps."

"InuYasha," Rin said, turning towards her lord's half brother, "Have you ever been to Sesshomaru-sama's castle before?"

InuYasha hesitated, knowing his brother was probably listening, but decided to answer anyways.

"Yeah, I've been. Don't remember it. Why the hell does it matter anyways?" the hanyo said in quick reply to the child, trying to play it off as smooth as possible.

"I just wondered, InuYasha," the child said, still having slight difficulty not referring to herself by name, "I know that you and Sesshomaru-sama don't get along very well, but he's your brother, right? I just wondered if you had ever been there – or even lived there."

InuYasha laughed, "I'm not _allowed _to live there because of who I am. Though they probably couldn't stop me now if I wanted to, they sure as hell wouldn't let me in when I was a kid."

"Speak not of what you don't understand, hanyo," Sesshomaru said, intervening into the conversation in the most passive way possible.

InuYasha didn't bother back with a response as conversations dropped from the group. The remainder of the day was spent simply – one of InuYasha's ears was trying to escape Rin's unending jabbering and the other was paying attention to the surroundings. And, unfortunately for him, nothing jumped out and tried to kill him. A threat to his life would be salvation. He'd be able to ignore the child, take out all of his anger, and possibly run off.

Though, of course, he wouldn't do that.

--

"InuYasha?" Rin asked from the gates, her eyes full of concern, "Are you sure you don't want to come in?"

"Go inside, kid." InuYasha commanded, annoyed at the child's concern after the past thirty minutes, "I'll be fine out here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure. Now get your ass inside."

And luckily for him, she decided to turn and enter the castle grounds, finally leaving him be. He wouldn't enter his brother's castle even if his life depended on it. Yeah, he had to travel with the bastard since the kid couldn't take care of her, but that didn't mean he had to throw himself into the fire. There was no way in hell he'd step foot on his brother's main turf with all those stupid little mindless servants. And plus, not doing so gave him a break from a certain child's voice.

But, of course, someone else's voice had to come.

"So, InuYasha," her voice was distant and dead, beautiful in the emptiest sense, "Are you ready for the end of all this."

InuYasha closed his eyes when he heard her, slowly sitting on the ground against the tree he had been leaning on.

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you." His voice was as harsh as he could make it, but the pain wasn't absent.

"InuYasha, I come only to ask you of your choice." Kikyo then took her place in front of him, staring down at the hanyo she hated to love and loved to hate.

"What choice?" InuYasha growled, knowing exactly what she was talking about, "Going to hell or staying here? To be with you or to be with her? To live or to die?"

"Exactly."

He sighed, dropping his head into his hands, "You know very well I won't be able to choose. Not with what's happened."

"Do you feel betrayed, InuYasha?" her voice was cold, uncaring, "Do you feel betrayed that the man you hate took what you wanted? Are you angry that he took both of your relationships with someone and tore it into little shreds? Have you realized that you won't ever be happy until he's dead?"

"I've known that, Kikyo."

"Then you can make your choice, can't you? Will you take the jewel when it is complete and make your wish to become full demon – making you equal to your brother and demonic family and discarding your mother? Or will you retreat to hell with me like you have promised? Or will you simply ignore the jewel and I to live your life out with my other self?"

"She's not you."

"She has my soul."

"Because you died. She took your soul without crime and made it her own."

"You realize that you love two different versions of the same thing?"

"You guys aren't the same."

"Because I am dead and she is living? Because I live in the past and she lives in the future?" Kikyo asked calmly, "What separates us?"

"She loves."

"I used to."

"When you were alive and when you had a soul."

"She has my soul."

"Can't you just be happy that I'm happy?"

"Not so long as I am not the cause of your happiness."

"...You're made of grave soil and pottery. You aren't the woman I loved."

"That may be true, but I am the shell of her. The thing that makes you remember her. I am who Urasure made me, and nothing else."

"So? I shouldn't have to explain myself to a walking piece of clay."

"But you choose to anyway." Kikyo stated, "And this _walking piece of clay _will kill Kagome in the end, and I will regain my soul. Then I'll be who I was, and we can be happy."

"I won't be happy if she's dead!" InuYasha said, his gaze turning towards her for the first time, "And I'll protect her until the end! She's done nothing to you. She's helped you! Stop trying to kill her."

"Then come to hell with me." Kikyo suggested in the coldest, emptiest tone, "And I shall leave her be."

InuYasha hesitated with an answer. Yes, in the past, he had said he would return to hell with her. But his reasons were from that of a love struck fool. He wasn't as idiotic as he was before. He fully understood that this Kikyo wasn't really his Kikyo. If he left this world to be with her, there wasn't any turning back. Kagome wouldn't pull an arrow out of his chest and bring him back to life. He'd be gone. Everything would be gone. There would be no body to bury, nothing to really remember of him. But... if he could help Kagome...

"You leave her be and I'll leave," he knew his words were final, unchangeable, "I'll go with you to hell if you don't lay a hand on her."

* * *

Kyoko had slowly gotten her son to warm up to Kagome over the days, and for some reason, it had helped in the slightest. Kyo had become yet another person Kagome could relate to and talk to. She had gained another friend and ally, despite Koga's ultimate unhappiness with the situation. It wasn't that he didn't trust the kid; it was that the kid was a boy. And, worst of all, he was a mature, teenage boy. Simply, Koga was getting territorial. And if you wanted to make it even simpler, Koga was jealous. But he never bothered anyone with the fact as Kyoko knowingly laughed in the background, and always acted if he were fine with it around Kagome. Of course, he was happy she was opening up to others, but he couldn't get over that there was another guy near what he wanted.

Just healthy, annoying, man jealously.

Kagome remained oblivious and didn't notice a thing the entire time, despite all her experience with InuYasha and Koga.

And in the spirit of making friends, after the little incident in the forest with Koga and Kumo, they had for some strange reason, become closer. Kumo, usually distant and clinging to her mother, now freely walked around with Koga and talked to him, even though his nervousness was obvious. Of course, Kagome hadn't been notified of her son's achievement of taking down a demon about ten times his size, but she was genuinely happy that Koga was becoming friends with the boy.

For a while, things seemed to ease up.

But, of course, nothing lasts forever.

When Kagome woke up one morning, wrapped in Koga's arms, she could feel the darkness. It wasn't the literal descending darkness like it had been previously, but it was the heavy feeling of the air. It was the feeling she had experienced in her entire stay with Naraku, the foreboding feeling of evil.

The battle to end the war was coming.

And she had never been more scared in her life.

* * *

**A/N: Damn. I'm sorry for not updating in a while. And, don't worry, the story isn't ending with the battle. There's more to come after that.  
Oh, and by the way, my stats just don't match up. See, I have roughly 2500 hits, it's been added to 18 favorites, and 20 people have alerts. But, there is only 27 reviews? What's with that? I love my reviews. They are my... encouragement. Without them, I just might think you guys don't care and I might not update anymore... (which I would never do, though. Not updating would eat away at my soul) But, c'mon guys, every writer wants reviews! Please?!**

**Well, read, review, and enjoy!**


	9. Reality

_"We're damned after all  
Through fortune and flame we fall  
And if you can stay then I'll show you the way  
To return from the ashes you call  
We all carry on  
When our brothers in arms are gone  
So raise your glass high  
For tomorrow we die  
And return from the ashes you call"_

-My Chemical Romance; "Mama"

* * *

"Mommy, why are you going?" Kumo asked quietly as his mother knelt in front of him, wiping the tears from his eyes, "Why don't you stay? You... Mommy... please, don't leave!"

Kagome sighed, her heart tearing in two. No, she hadn't given birth to this child. He was a detachment, free from his maker. But he was her child, and she felt as any mother would when she had to part from her son when she knew she might never get to see him again. But she couldn't bring him with her and she couldn't stay behind.

"Your mother will be fine," Koga said, almost comforting the boy, "She's got me and the others to protect her."

"But, Koga-sama..."

"Kumo," Kagome said in her quiet voice, "I'll be safe... And I want you to be safe here in the caves. Kyoko will take care of you. She'll make sure nothing will happen to you... I'll be back. I promise."

"But, Mother..." Kumo said quietly, "Father could hurt you..."

"He might," Kagome said as she wrapped her son in a hug, "But he won't be able to when we make sure he can't come back."

Kumo nodded into her chest, knowing nothing he could say would bring her to stay. And when she parted with him, he took a hold on Kyoko's leg, his red eyes drawn sadly on the group of five that were leaving.

"Now you," Kyoko spoke up, her attention directed to her son, "You die and I'll never forgive you. I'll steal the Western Lord's sword and bring you back just so I can kill you again."

Kyo laughed, smiling, "I'll survive, Mom. I'm not stupid."

"I know." Kyoko said, smiling softly, "Be safe."

"I will."

Koga was the next to speak as he put his arm around Kagome, "Kyoko, you know the drill if any thing happens, right?"

"Nothing is going to happen," Kyoko replied, "But I know what to do. If you don't come back within a month, announce that you're dead or something and take over. Blah blah blah."

"Good." Koga said with a smirk, "But, of course, nothing is going to happen."

"Right."

"Well, then," Koga announced to no one, "I guess it's time to get out of here. I don't know how well that Western Castle can hold him off."

"Be safe, Kagome," Kyoko said with a smile as she took the miko into her arms, whispering her next word's into the girl's ear, "Once he's gone, it'll be over. The pain will linger, but you won't have to fear."

"I know," Kagome said as they parted, "Please take care of him."

"Of course."

"Let's go then," Koga said, sweeping Kagome up into his arms, careful not to accidentally impale himself with one of her arrows on her back, "It's time to take that bastard down."

And then they were off, Kyo, Kagome, Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku leaping out of the wolf den without another word as the miko's other friends followed closely behind.

* * *

Most of the blood that InuYasha was soaked in wasn't him own, which was an accomplishment in itself, but the hanyo was annoyed at his brother. Sesshomaru was slaying more demons than he had, but there wasn't a single drop of blood on the yokai. It hadn't even looked like he had been fighting. Instead, he only had one piece of proof that he had been fighting. His armor had been broken. For some reason, that pissed InuYasha off more than anything could. Yet, fortunately, all that anger was directed at the army of demons trying to take down the Western Castle.

Naraku had attacked Sesshomaru's home base, which was incredibly stupid on his part, for the taiyokai was none to happy that someone dared to attack him there. The castle-fortress hadn't been attacked in a good century, but surprisingly, all the guards and even some of the servants were kicking ass out on the battle field. Not even a single portion of the castle gates had been touched, and it looked as if the battle had started somewhere else and had ended up here as an inconvenience. So, with the added help of the many residence of the castle Sesshomaru so barely ever went to, the demonic forces were decreasing quickly. Sesshomaru and InuYasha had fought alongside one another the entire time without really realizing it, and both continued on unaware. Sesshomaru had actually protected InuYasha's back most of the time, and the same went for InuYasha's protecting Sesshomaru.

And when a certain yokai had snuck up behind the hanyo, Sesshomaru had gone after it. But, before he could even swing his sword down upon the demon, an arrow had pierced the thing between the eyes, the body disintegrating with the purifying energy. The taiyokai drew his eyes up to the sky then, watching the wolves and others jump into battle, Kagome readying the next arrow for attack from Koga's back. Sesshomaru chopped down a demon coming his way without even looking, quickly returning to the battle once he saw the others join the group. There was no way they could possibly lose, was there?

And the battle wore on after that, the numbers quickly coming down to a close with the new fighters. Soon the last henchmen cried out as he was sliced down the middle with deadly grace, Sesshomaru following to wipe the blood from his blade with a flick of his wrist. He was ready for whoever or whatever came after them next. He was ready for the dark hanyo to die.

Kagome was fairing differently. Her breath came in pants and her clothes were torn, but she wasn't hurt. She only suffered mild bruises and shallow scratches, any demon that had dared to come to close to Kagome having been brutally killed by her wolf demon savior. She, truthfully, wasn't ready for Naraku to arrive. She'd rather fight all these minor demons for the rest of her life rather than to see him again. But she didn't have a choice. She had to see him, she had to fight him, and she had to kill him. There was no way to avoid that. So she held her head high and held her bow straight, ready for him to arrive. She had to be strong.

"Kagome!" InuYasha's cry rang out loud, and the miko just thought he was calling her name because he realized she was there.

She soon found out she was very wrong when the cold hands took hold of her torso.

"Hello, my dear." His voice was cold, unforgiving, "It's been awhile. How is the little present I gave you fairing?"

She froze up. Her legs locked and her muscles tensed, her mind returning to a very unresponsive state. But, somewhere within her heart, the Kagome that had fought against her iron cage bars suddenly broke loose, taking hold of the body that was hers.

"Get off of me!" her voice was what it used to be, loud and defined as she screamed.

Her hand gripped tightly to the arrow it held as she spun around, still in the spider's arms, the arrow's tip embedding itself deeply into his shoulder. It flared and pulsed with her miko power and he seemed almost surprised that she'd attacked. With that surprise he was distracted, allowing Koga to land a kick to his face as he pulled Kagome away, the dark hanyo flying backwards a few feet.

Kagome soon found herself in Koga's arms, the sudden burst of defiance and rebellion locked away again inside of her once more, her breathing uneven and ragged. She was surprised that she'd acted out like that, but she knew it had been right to. A little piece of her had come back, and she could feel the happiness erupting throughout her body. He had been there, but she had gained something back. She was... healing. Possibly.

When Naraku pulled himself to his feet, his original entrance plans having been broken into pieces, he wasn't happy in the slightest. No, _not happy_, isn't the right expression. He was pretty close to "burning with internal endless rage."

"That will be the only kick you land on me today, wolf." Naraku growled out as he dusted off his outfit, the arrow still pulsing pink in his shoulder, "And that will be the only arrow that strikes me today, whore."

"You dare call Kagome a whore, you bastard?!" InuYasha lashed out, suddenly beside both wolf and miko with his sword held high.

"What are you going to do about it, mutt? You've already proven to us that you can't protect her. What makes you think you can do it now?"

"Cease you talking, Naraku," Sesshomaru said before his younger brother could speak out another line of insults, "This Sesshomaru is quite ready for you to meet your end."

"And will you, the Great Sesshomaru, be the end of me?" Naraku asked mockingly as his body began to grow and expand, thousands of tentacles and limbs rising from beneath his flesh, "Will you, the Ruler of the West, swiftly kill me?"

Sesshomaru didn't respond, unphased by the mockery of the spider demon, holding his blade ready in one hand. And in seconds Sesshomaru was at Naraku's neck, his blade opening a small cut on the spider's cheek. With deadly grace the taiyokai cut and slashed away at the tentacles and limbs of the spider demon, too fast for Naraku to retaliate and defend every attack. InuYasha took it as opening and started swinging wildly, as did everyone else.

Soon there was a flurry a movement as others joined into the battle, Kirara's roar echoing through the area as Sango threw Hirakotsu from her back. Miroku quickly began to wind tunnel up the cut off pieces of Naraku as a sort of strategy so the hanyo couldn't regenerate lost parts. All the wolves were fighting side by side, easily cutting through Naraku's forces while making sure Kagome was safe at the same time. Kagome stood by in the background, nocking arrows and shooting when the openings came, Shippo close by her side.

Eventually Naraku sent forth his second line of demons, much bigger than the first. It forced everyone but Sesshomaru and InuYasha back, who continued on fighting the dark hanyo. Kagome purified a good number of the demons at first, but didn't do much when she noticed her decreasing numbers of her arrows. So when a demon came close enough she sent her powers into her bow and hit them with it, automatically purifying them from the flesh in. Shippo used his fox fire and tricks when needed, fending off others Kagome wasn't getting to. Miroku had joined the fight on Kirara with Sango by that point, using his Wind Tunnel without restraint. But the more he sucked in, the more the numbers didn't seem to decrease.

That was when things fell down hill, leading to the inevitable crash and burn.

When Miroku had screamed in pure agony, InuYasha turned to look towards the sky, Tetsusaiga held in defense for whatever attacks might come with his attention another place. It looked as if a rather large demon were fighting the powers of the black hole in Miroku's hand, and had stopped himself from being sucked in completely by holding his sword horizontally over Miroku's palm. What happened next no one could really ever come to explain fully, because there just weren't the words to explain it.

The winds ripped through the airs at speeds not even Kagura would be able to achieve as Miroku screamed in agony, the sword splitting through his palm. Naraku's echoing laugh was heard as a black void suddenly circled around the airborne trio, a black hole expanding and swallowing everyone and everything it could reach. Koga quickly fell on top of Kagome, shielding her with his body. She didn't see the void disappear, taking her friends with it, for another loud scream echoed before she could try and hope that Sango, Miroku, and Kirara were somehow alive.

Her attention was directed at InuYasha, who was now suspended in the air by Naraku's tentacles. His attention had been directed at the others when Naraku had impaled him with one of his tentacles, the attachment shooting strait through the hanyo's ribs and out the other side of his body.

"Bastard." InuYasha coughed out, a fire raging in his eyes as he chocked on his own blood, the red liquid spilling out of the corners of his mouth.

Sesshomaru didn't stand by to watch. He jumped up, his body arching gracefully as he cut off the tentacle from the main body, dropping his sword to catch InuYasha. The following moments were a blur for the taiyokai, and he wasn't even sure why he was doing what he was doing as he tore the limb out of his brother's body, the blood spilling over both of them. He could see straight through the hanyo, his sharp eyes able to see every broken, missing, or detached bone, every bleeding organ that spurted blood onto him.

Tenseiga was drawn with a singing song of metal, but InuYasha just managed to cough out something that sounded like a laugh.

"It won't work."

"Shut up." Sesshomaru commanded cruelly, raising the sword above his brother's body.

"I've... died once... already," InuYasha managed to say through his chocking sounds, a small smirk upon his face, "Why would you... want to save me anyway? You always... wanted me... dead."

"No one will take your pathetic life from this world but this Sesshomaru."

The soul collectors were there. He could see them surrounding his brother's body, lacing their chains around his soul. They taunted him when he swung his sword to cut off each of their heads, his sword allowing him to see but not to kill the ones that were taking the last of his family away from him.

"You're trying... too hard... for me to think... you're actually just saving me... so you can kill me later."

"I said shut up."

"...You actually do care... underneath it all..."

"Shut up." Sesshomaru growled, taking another swing at the soul collectors. He didn't know why he was doing this, but he didn't care. His brother was _not_ going to die here!

"Kick his ass..."

"Do it yourself."

"Tell Kagome I'm sorry... and that I love her."

"You can do it yourself!"

"No... I can't."

Golden eyes suddenly turned dull, the hanyo's body losing all life. The blood stopped spurting from his body – it just flowed right out of him. And Sesshomaru could see his brother's soul just rise out of his body, dragged away by the minions of hell.

He couldn't do anything about it...

For the first time in his life he felt so vulnerable...

And that vulnerability turned into an anger he had never experienced as well, his mind tuning into a sudden blur as he threw the sword that failed him to his side and picked up his sword that could kill.

But not even Sesshomaru could change fate.

Kyo was the next to fall by Naraku's hand, having attempted to give the demon a blow to the face. Jaken was taken out as well when he had been burning away at the minor demons, a large yokai taking off his head from behind. Ginta fell as well when he protected Hakkaku from an attack Naraku had sent, both Hakkaku and Koga gaining an untamable rage from watching their brother's downfall.

And in the end, the final end, they knew they wouldn't win. Hakkaku took Shippo into his protection by Koga's orders, retreating back to the den soon after Ginta's death.

"So, do you finally all realize that you can't win?!" Naraku gloated as he fought off a dangerous Sesshomaru, his attention directed to Kagome, "Do you finally all realize that you can't protect the ones you love?!"

The tentacles sailed Kagome's way then, Koga knocking her out of the line of attack at the last moment. They landed with a skid, the wolf holding Kagome close to his chest.

"We can't win..." Koga admitted with a panting breath, his body injured and barely able to function "But we can't leave. He'll follow us back to the den – where ever we go... We can't stay, though. We'll die. I'm not putting you in any more danger here."

Kagome wiped away the burning tears that had been flowing down her cheeks ever since her friends had fallen. They were all dead... And she knew she had to live for them.

There was only one place to go.

"There's somewhere we can go."

"He'll follow us to the ends of the earth, Kagome."

"He can't follow where I can take us."

"Where would that be?" Koga asked hopefully as he fought off the limbs Naraku had sent their way.

"My home."

"I'm not putting your family in dange—"

"Koga, he can't follow us to a different time period."

"...What?"

* * *

All of them had fled. Even Sesshomaru, when he had finally worn the hanyo down to a point where he was forced to leave, didn't chase after him or land the final blow. The moment Naraku had disappeared from the battle field, he had lost all consciousness and passed out at the side of his brother's side. But Koga and Kagome had left long before that point.

In the end, he had won, just he had always said he would. No, he hadn't completed the jewel. Koga still held on to the last two shards that hadn't been removed by the dark hanyo during battle. Maybe that was the only good thing that had come out of it all. And when Kagome and Koga had fled, leaving Sesshomaru alone in the one on one fight against the demon, they had almost been caught. But with the taiyokai supporting their leaving, they had been covered by him.

Kagome had been afraid she wouldn't be able to bring Koga back with her to her time. She was afraid that she was leading him to his doom and herself to safety. But, miraculously, the blue magic had encased them both and brought them to safety. There Kagome met a very comforting horror.

Nothing had changed in her time.

This had been the world created with the hands of Naraku, the very thing she thought this wasn't. Things could have been better than what they were now if she had killed him. If she hadn't fallen down that well on her fifteenth birthday and released InuYasha from his seal. She could have prevented Naraku from ever becoming what he was if she had only known.

But neither of them ever made it out of the well house. They had opened the door to see if reality had changed, but with no energy left for either of them, they had collapsed right there.

Souta wouldn't find them there until the hours of night, miko and wolf cradled in each other's sleeping embrace on the very scene where this horror had begun.


	10. Together

Souta, walking home from school, had experience the passing thought that it would be nice for his sister to come home again, so he could see her and possibly InuYasha. What he was met with though wasn't what he had thought. Instead of seeing his happily smiling sister and always grumpy InuYasha, he was met with blood. With horror filled eyes he saw his sister and someone he didn't know lying in blood just inside the well house, and after a moment of shock, he ran inside and fetched his family.

They dragged the two back into the house quickly, laying them out on the kitchen's tile and bandaging the best they could with what they had. And when everything was cleaned both Mrs. Higurashi and Souta transported the Kagome into her room, knowing that would be the place their family member would want to wake up at. Not knowing where to put their new face, they carefully transported him to the living room, putting him to rest on the couch and covering him with a blanket. Souta ran up to his sister's room after that, making himself comfortable outside her door. He wasn't going to leave until he knew she was alright. He owed that to her after all she did to keep people in both times safe, didn't he?

* * *

Kyo was dead. Ginta was dead. InuYasha, the monk, and the slayer had perished. He'd sent the rest of his pack back home with the kitsune. They'd left Sesshomaru to fight on his own. She'd led him to the well in InuYasha's forest... the magic had caught and then they weren't in a land he was familiar with. He'd gotten a single glimpse of the outside world when she had collapsed. His arms had gone out to catch her, but everything went black for him as well.

_...Kagome._

_Kagome!_

He wrenched his body into a conscious state, throwing the cloth that covered him across the room and rolling off the object he had been laying on to land in a crouched position on the padded floor. Where was Kagome? Where exactly was he?

"Hey, hold up!" a young boy's voice called, the child appearing in the entrance to the room, a glass cup held in his hand, "It's alright! Calm down!"

"Who are you?" Koga growled out, not caring if he was scaring the child, "Where am I? Where's Kagome?"

"It's alright! I'm Souta – Kagome's brother. We brought you guys inside when we found you out by the well house. You guys are safe!"

"Where's Kagome?" Koga demanded, "Tell me where she is!"

"She's in her room!" Souta was frightened out of his mind. He'd only come down to get a glass of water, but he'd been met with this, "First door at the top of the stairs."

The boy almost spun around by the force the demon created when he rushed passed, the water in his cup sloshing over the top. Koga was long gone and at the top of the stairs before anything could be done, speeding passed an unprepared woman in the hallway. He wrenched the door open with a force that threatened to break the hinges, his blue eyes drawn automatically to the young miko lying on the bed. In seconds he was at her side, standing over her with his hands on her shoulders, shaking her gently.

"Kagome!" he pleaded, "Kagome, wake up!"

The girl's eyes slowly opened, sending a wave of relief crashing over Koga. Overcome with his emotions, the wolf fell to his knees at her side, bowing his head.

"Koga?" her voice was groggy, soft and weak as it always was, "Koga, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," he thought he was going to break down right there, his mind to scattered to form a complete sentence, "I'm sorry... I just wanted... thank god you're safe."

But his relief didn't last too long before he smelt the salt of her tears.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" He was quickly back up to his feet, his hands grasping hers.

He was met with the same blank stare that haunted his nightmares, the girl a million miles away. She looked exactly the same as the day he had found her tied in the back of that castle, broken and lost. It seemed as if the reality of what had happened was crashing down on her, surfacing from the uncertainty of her dreams.

He found himself sitting on the edge of the raised bed seconds later, cradling her in his embrace.

"They're... dead..." her tears could be felt landing on his bare shoulder, "They're all dead..."

His arms tightened around her. The pain was crashing down on him as well. His family members had died around him and he had abandoned his pack, getting as far away from them as possible because if he had returned he would have doomed them all. And he even felt the loss for Kagome's friends. Even for InuYasha...

"They died fighting. Protecting what they loved and what they believed," he said, trying to find comfort in the sorrow.

"...Kumo!" Kagome was suddenly out of his embrace, staring into his eyes with her terror filled emotion, "Kumo! We left him!"

"He'll be fine," Koga pulled her back into his embrace, "Kyoko has him."

"I told him... I'd never leave him..."

"You didn't have a choice." Koga comforted, "Kyoko will raise him as if he was her own, and he'll grow to be strong."

She sighed, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. She was tired. Tired of being tired and tired of being sad. She just wanted to find some peace. She just wanted to find something that didn't make her hurt.

"C'mon," Koga was lying her down, separating her from him gently, "You need some rest."

She nodded sadly, pulling the covers back over her.

"Stay with me," she pleaded softly, looking up into his blue eyes.

And in seconds she found that he was under the covers with her, holding her close in his embrace. For the briefest of moments she felt that the world was alright in his arms, that all the sadness she had been feeling had disappeared. In his arms, her friends were still alive. She was still in the caves, her son never too far out of her reach, and Kyoko and her son were there to help. Ginta and Hakkaku were still laughing together and practicing their idiocy, and somewhere Sesshomaru walked proudly with his two wards following close behind him. In his arms she didn't see Naraku.

When they were together, the world somehow seemed right.

* * *

**A/N: Short chapter. Things will start happening again when the next chapter gets posted. And, as always, Read and Review!**


	11. We're All Still Here

When Kagome woke up she was still cuddled close to Koga's armored chest, her whole body aching.

"Are you up?" Koga's voice was soft and caring.

She nodded, looking up into his blue eyes.

"Your family told me that you'd need to go somewhere to get fixed up. I don't remember what they called it, but they wanted you up as soon as possible."

"Koga, could you please go and tell them I'm fine here. I don't need to go to a hospital."

"A ho-spi-tul?" Koga asked, carefully sliding off the bed.

She nodded in response, watching him leave her room. Shortly after she carefully moved herself up into a sitting position, looking around her room. Everything was the same as she had left it, but it was obvious her mother had set out the clothes that lay at the foot of her bed. Figuring they'd be much more comfortable and cleaner than the blood soaked furs she wore now, she managed to get into the baggy gray sweats, setting the furs carefully right outside her closet. It hurt to move, but she didn't care. She had to start doing something so her mind wouldn't wander. She was quiet aware that there would be virtually no way to stop the memories of the day before and of Naraku that were leaking out and clouding her mind, but as long as she had something else on her mind, she might be able to evade them for a while.

"Kagome, you shouldn't be moving around."

Kagome was quick to turn to the woman in her doorway, her eyes watering.

_Mama..._

In seconds she found herself cradled in her mother's embrace, holding onto her for dear life.

"Kagome, I'm so glad you're safe," Mrs. Higurashi whispered to her daughter, her own tears rising, "You hadn't come home for so long... And InuYasha hadn't come to tell us anything... we thought something might have happened."

Kagome silently parted from her mother, her arms crossing over herself in an almost protective stance.

"Mama, things did happen."

"What do yo—"

But before Kagome's Mother could ask her question, Koga was behind her at the doorway, interrupting the reunion.

"Kagome, lie down. I can smell your blood."

Kagome didn't listen right away, she opened her mouth to speak, but soon she found herself in Koga's arms.

"You have to take care of yourself if you want to be able to find everybody." He told her as he lay her back down on her bed, glancing at her change of clothes, "You two can talk, but just don't move around."

And soon her mother had situated herself at her bedside, ready to resume their talk. Koga was sitting on the bed as well, one of Kagome's hands held in his.

"Mama, things did happen to me," Kagome said, her voice seemingly getting weaker, "I didn't come back because of them..."

"What happened, dear?" Kagome's mother seemed worried as she took her daughter's other hand in her own, "What made it so you couldn't come back?"

"...Naraku..."

Kagome's mother sighed. It must have been some sort of battle, just like it always was. Or someone got badly injured, or poisoned, or something. It wasn't anything new...

"...He... He kidnapped me, Mama..."

Koga visibly tensed and Mrs. Higurashi didn't understand why. Her daughter had been kidnapped by numerous foes in the past as far as she understood, so why did this make anything different? True, this was their main foe, but her daughter wasn't missing any limbs or anything.

"...And he... he..." Kagome paused, biting at her bottom lip. Should she really tell her mother something like this? But when Koga squeezed her hand a little bit harder in support and comfort, she gathered her courage, "He raped me, Mama. He... tortured me. He... _broke_ me."

Mrs. Higurashi couldn't bring herself to say a single word. This was the one of the many fears every mother had for their daughters and she had never thought that it would happen to her daughter. Even with the whole time travel thing, she thought her daughter would be safe from something like this. With her friends there... with InuYasha there... why had this happened? Shock wasn't the right word for what she was feeling. It was something much stronger than that, but she wasn't sure what it was.

"...Koga was the one who saved me, Mama," Kagome continued, squeezing Koga's hand, "He came when InuYasha and the others couldn't find me. He took me in and cared for me. I told you about him before, remember? He's the one with the jewel shards in his legs that kidnapped me a while back. Do you remember?"

Kagome's mother nodded slightly, somehow still processing the information that her daughter was telling her.

"And Mama, there's something else I've got to tell yo—"

But before Kagome could finish her sentence Souta's yell echoed through the house. In a second she found herself in Koga's arms on the first floor, the wolf demon having jumped out of her room and ignored the stairs to jump over the railing. The sight Kagome was met with was her brother on the floor, scared out of his mind and trying to inch backwards as he stared at the door, fear apparent in every look and body movement. Koga was still as stone, but no matter what she tried he wouldn't let her go.

The smell of the rain outside was floating through the house as wet footsteps could be heard entering the house, Souta managing to crawl back behind the counters of the kitchen to safety.

"Who's there?" Kagome called out, the only one in the room not nervous or frightened.

No one answered her, but the footsteps continued in. Someone could be heard outside the house, the female probably far away judging on the distance of her yell. Kagome could feel her heart threatening to jump out of her chest as the footsteps came to a halt, who ever it was still out of view just behind the wall.

"Show yourself." Koga ordered, his body moving again and all nervousness gone.

Then the man entered the room quietly, his dripping wet clothes clutching to ever muscle of his lean body. His black hair was plastered around his perfectly shaped face, his pale skin covered in the raindrops that glinted in the artificial lights of the lamps. His eyes traveled to Kagome, whom had managed to get herself out of Koga's hold, his gaze traveling up and down her form.

"You're... alive." His voice was smooth and low, almost as completely emotionless as Sesshomaru's as the words rolled off his tongue perfectly.

Kagome looked over the man's face with curious eyes, her eyes connecting with his.

She was met with endless ruby red, the eyes boring into her soul without restraint.

"KUMO, YOU DUMBASS!" the woman who had been screaming earlier was completely in earshot now, her footsteps quick as she dashed into the house, skidding to a stop beside the man, "What the hell are you doing?! You can't just barge into someone's house like this!"

The soaking wet, brown haired woman took her gaze off of the man who wasn't actually paying attention to her, her eyes scanning the room to freeze on both miko and demon.

"...You're alive." Her statement was as plain as the man before her, but there was plenty of emotion in her melodic voice, "...Holy shit..." a great grin spread across her face as she ran at Kagome and Koga, embracing both of them in a huge hug, "You're alive!"

Koga didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Yeah, we're alive Kyoko. Now the get the hell 'offa us!"

Kumo, in the background, leaned against the frame of the door, closing his eyes without a single emotion crossing his face as his thoughts ran wild.

_...Mother... You're alive..._

He felt her embrace warm him, but he only placed a single arm around her as his eyes remained closed, the smallest smile coming across his face.

_...Father was wrong..._

Suddenly he lost all control, throwing his other arm around his mother, holding her tight to him. The emotions that were bursting through him couldn't be held back behind the stone cold mask he had perfected over his many years, his long repressed tears spilling down onto his mother's hair.

_You're alive!_

He felt the hole in his heart mend, all his grieving turning into nothing. He felt complete in his mother's arms, as complete as he had been as a small child sleeping in her embrace. He was alive again, no longer the child of the dark spider hanyo that would forever be shunned by everyone but the wolves, but the child of the Great shikon miko. He wasn't empty anymore.

* * *

"Hakkaku came back with Shippo and said that you guys had been left in the fight. He said that InuYasha and all the others had died, that Ginta and Kyo had fallen. When you didn't come back and Sesshomaru would say if you had died or not, we had to assume that you two were gone. And I guess we just held onto what we had and kept on living. I took Shippo and Kumo into my care and I guess we all just lived on," Kyoko explained from her spot around the table, drying her hair with a towel Mrs. Higurashi had lent her, "But now you get to explain. How the hell did you guys get here? Why the hell do you guys just looked like you got thrown into this time from back then? And how the hell did Kagome survive to get through this time without aging a friggen day?!"

"Kyoko, I wasn't born in your time," Kagome began from her spot between Koga and her son, "I was born in this time with the Shikon jewel inside of me. You see, I'm the reincarnation of Kikyo, the girl that shot InuYasha into a tree and was then cremated with the jewel. I ended up in the past by falling through the well by the power of the Shikon Jewel and I met and freed InuYasha from his tree. Then the Jewel was broken and we all set out looking for it. I've been traveling back and forth between times for who knows how long."

"Alright... I guess that explains that..." Kyoko commented, setting down her towel, "So, are you guys saying that you seriously just got back from the battle with Naraku? Like, you guys fought him yesterday?"

"Pretty much," Koga answered, "We weren't going to win and if we stayed we were going to die. I would have stayed if I were alone, but I wasn't going to put Kagome in any danger with that bastard Naraku. And we couldn't return to the caves because Naraku would have followed us there and killed everyone. Kagome told me to go jump down a well, saying we'd be safe, so I believed her. We ended up here."

"Interesting." The wolf demoness said, setting her chin on her hand, propped up by her elbow, "So... your turn to ask a question I guess..."

"Where is everyone? Where's the wolf pack?"

Kyoko smiled, "A lot of them died for different reason. We don't have any more of the wolf animals with us anymore. Hakkaku and a lot of the others are still around, but we don't' stay in a pack anymore. We spread out once the demon hierarchy crumbled, but we all keep in touch in a manner of different ways. We're kept in close contact with Sesshomaru and what's left of the inuyokai clan, and we usually get together a couple times a month to update each other of what we've learned about Naraku and his whereabouts. If you want," Kyoko said, pulling out her cell phone and drying it off with a towel, "We can call everyone together and explain everything. We'll have to do it eventually. After all, with you back, I'm not Alpha anymore. You are."

Koga thought for a moment, coming to his conclusion quite quickly, "Yeah. Do it. Can you get a hold of Sesshomaru too?"

Kumo laughed quietly, but Kyoko answered, "We can _try. _It's nearly impossible to get any contact with him if he doesn't feel like answering his phone. It's _absolutely _impossible to try and track him down because he's always moving around. He's usually the one who sets up a gathering of the wolf and inu clans because we can never get in contact with him."

"What does he do?" Kagome asked curiously, interested in the fact that Sesshomaru was still around, "Is he some type of business man?"

Kyoko chuckled, "Kind of. Ever since the demon hierarchy crumbled and the humans started taking over, most of the smarter demons just kind of disappeared. We blended in because we had to and because if we tried to start a war, our already small numbers would have nearly been depleted. So there's a type of yokai black market that goes around, selling and buying artifacts and "food" and magic and shit like that. Sesshomaru runs most of it, so he's never in the same place for more than a month. As far as we know, he's pretty much loaded with everything we would ever need to have to fight Naraku, but first we have to find him. The man probably owns a million homes around the world."

"So, Naraku's still around?" Koga asked.

"Yeah. He was involved in most of the wars that happened or are going on right now, which isn't a surprise. I wouldn't be surprised if Naraku had been pulling Hitler's strings behind it all. But, anyways, he's impossible to find. We're trying to track him down, but we're trying to get water from an empty well."

"...We've seen him a couple times since the battle." Kumo stated sadly, "He was one of the main reasons we thought you were dead. He showed up a couple months after the battle to come and try and take me, but he failed. Since then he's come to see me a couple times and tried to talk me into going with him, but that's it. He's there one moment and gone the next."

Kagome took hold of her son's hand, "I'm glad you didn't give in."

"Kyoko, when I was old enough, told me what happened between you two. There was no way I would have gone with him, whether I knew that or not." Kumo replied, looking down at his Mother, "I_ will _kill him for you."

"We'll all kill him for what he's done to everyone." Kyoko stated, "But first we gotta find him. So, I'm gonna call everyone. Where should we meet?"

"...Hakkaku's." Kumo answered after a moment of thought, "He's got the biggest place and he's not to far away."

"Alright," Kyoko said, standing, "I'll go call everyone and tell them to meet us there. I'll try Sesshomaru last, but don't get your hopes up. And Kumo, get Koga some clothes and a talisman. He'll need them."

"Ok." Kumo was standing as well, addressing his mother next, "I'll be back soon."

"Alright."

"...Be here when I come back, alright?" he asked quietly as he turned to leave, his movements graceful and fluid.

Kagome smiled sadly, "Of course."

* * *

"What is it?" his voice was even cold over the phone.

"Dude, you answered!"

"I am not a 'dude.' What is it that you want, wolf? I have much more important things I could be doing than talking to the likes of you. Do not waste my time."

"If you had more important things to do than this, you wouldn't have answered," Kyoko pointed out as she lounged on the Higurashi's couch, "But, anyways, can you come meet up with all us wolves?"

"You wish for me to assemble my entire clan in a minutes notice by your whim? I think not."

"No, not your entire clan," Kyoko sighed, "Just _you_."

"Why is my presence required?"

"Because you'd end up being pissed if we didn't at least attempt to invite you."

"If this is merely a whim, this Sesshomaru will not grace your clan with his presence."

"Let's just say the clan isn't exactly _mine_ anymore, Sesshomaru-sama."

There was a moment of silence before Sesshomaru answered.

"What time is this gathering and what place with the bunch of you mangy wolves be meeting?"

Kyoko smiled, "It'll be in about an hour at Hakkaku's house."

The line went dead, and Kyoko smiled at her achievement. Yeah, the dog might not have the best telephone manners, but what the hell? At least he was coming. She cut her end of the line as well as she dialed in Hakkaku's number on her phone, still smiling with herself. Time to call the man who's going to be hosting this sudden get together...

* * *

Kumo had returned about a half an hour later with a set of dry clothes for Koga, which had thankfully fit. He had also given the demon a enchanted talisman that most demons (excluding Sesshomaru, of course, since the man refused to hide his power from the world) wore to hide demonic traits like tails and markings and such, mentioning that you'd have to be insane not to wear one. So, with both Kagome and Koga bandaged and clean out of the showers, they were sitting around the table once more, all dressed to go out. The rain had let up, so they were going to walk over once Kyoko was sure that everyone was there, including Sesshomaru, who had shown up not a second after she had alerted Hakkaku that everyone was going to be there in a matter of minutes.

"Ok!" Kyoko announced as she entered the room, her cell phone shoved back into her jeans pocket, "Let's get going. Hakkaku said everyone was there."

"Alright." Koga said, standing up and offering his hand to Kagome.

But before she could take it she found herself in Kumo's arms, slightly shocked by the sudden movement.

"I'll carry her." Kumo stated, "We don't need her opening her wounds again."

Koga nodded in agreement, all of them following Kyoko out of the house with a quick goodbye to Kagome's family.

"Well," Kyoko announced as they stepped outside the house, "I guess we can't race this time around. So, you ready to keep up with us, Koga?"

"Won't someone see us?" Kagome asked, but received a laugh from her son.

"Not if we run fast enough. Don't worry, Mother, we've done this before."

"Whatever," Koga said, "Let's just go."

"Alright!" Kyoko said, "Follow me."

In mere seconds Kagome found the world flying by her in a blur, all the city sounds blended together. It made her a bit dizzy and nauseous, so she kept her eyes closed after a while, waiting for the world to stop moving so fast. And not five minutes later she felt the running cease, opening her eyes to a regular size house, secluded from the rest of his town on what was probably privately owned land, that had way too many loud noises coming from it. She could clearly hear a few couple choice cuss words said in laughter from the inside, and she just sighed. It was a bunch of wolves coming together after probably having been away from one another for quite awhile. But what really puzzled her was that Sesshomaru hadn't killed everyone inside for making such a racket yet. The Sesshomaru she knew would have the house completely quiet in a manner of seconds upon his arrival.

She hadn't been paying attention, but Kyoko's yell woke her out of her dazed state.

With the door banging open, a loud moan from the inside making it obvious that someone had been standing behind the door when it had been opened quite forcefully, Kyoko's voice was raised above all others.

"ALL OF YOU, SHUT UP!!"

Kagome giggled slightly, her son chuckling as well when the whole house fell silent.

"I'm surprised Sesshomaru hasn't killed all of you yet!" Kyoko continued with her signature smirk on her face.

"Don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind." Sesshomaru's voice could be heard from the spot where they stood a few feet behind Kyoko, a slight chill running down Kagome's spine.

"Anyways," Kyoko began, motioning to the people behind her to come forward, "I gathered us all here for a sort of announcement."

"Well? What is it?!" someone yelled from the inside.

"...I'm no longer your Alpha."

Without warning the whole house burst into chaos, protests being yelled her way and threats being made towards the person who had taken Kyoko's spot.

"SHUT UP!" Kyoko yelled after letting them go on for a moment, "I'm stepping down from my position because someone else rightfully holds this position!"

"Who the hell is that, then?! Who supposedly holds the right to _your _position as _our leader_?!" someone yelled, obviously enraged by his tone.

"Shut your mouth, you filthy mongrel," Sesshomaru spoke up, "Nothing you can say will change what will happen, imbecile."

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU CALL ME?!"

"It would be best if you shut your mouth, unless you would prefer that you be without a tongue." Sesshomaru threatened.

"You stupid do—"

"Whoever that is, _shut the hell up_!" Koga yelled, obviously fed up with what was going on inside.

Everything fell silent then, the tension held in the air. Quietly Kumo carried her behind Koga to where they entered the door, Kyoko standing out of their way to follow in afterwards, shutting the door behind her.

Kagome's eyes were automatically directed to Sesshomaru, who was leaning up against the wall that the door was installed on, his golden eyes drilling into her. She gazed back unflinchingly, noticing that there was definitely something different about him. Maybe it was the way his eyes looked tired, or how time had made him a bit older. But the moment she saw the side of his face, she knew what it was. A long silver scar was there, starting at his chin and tracing along his jawbone, lining the side of his face straight up to disappear under his silver hair. But his gaze was still there, locked with hers in unending curiosity, a slight suspicious glare sent her way.

"Koga is back." Kumo announced in the silence, breaking the connection between miko and former taiyokai, "And so is my Mother."

* * *

**A/N: A bit of a cliffhanger, right? Well, anyways, you might WANT TO CHECK OUT what I'm going to say next. But first, let me clarify. No, this picture was not drawn for the story. It is an original piece by the artist. I stumbled across it one day and it just screamed "Kumo" to me. So, if you want to know what Kumo looks in my mind, remove the spaces from the following link: h t t p/anikakinka. deviantart. com/art/Red-Eyes-90958940**

**The man in the picture is named "Sam" (mentioned in the description) but he looks like what I imagined Kumo to look like in this and following chapters. Remember, it is an original work of art. Credit the artist please - she's amazing!**

**And, as always, thank for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!  
**


	12. The Wolf Pack

"_This life is filled with hurt  
__When happiness doesn't work  
Trust me and take my hand  
And I when the lights go out you will understand  
Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough_  
'_Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all"_

-Three Days Grace; Pain

* * *

The whole house had fallen into an uneasy silence, all eyes on Kagome and Koga. Kyoko stood behind the wolf leader and beside Kumo and his mother, carefully watching everyone. Anything could happen right now, and there was no way anything was going to get out of hand if she could help it.

But in a split second there was plenty of noise once again when all the wolves bombarded their leader in an array of varying questions, a few of the women tackling him down to the ground while the men crowded around and tried to let themselves be heard. Kyoko, unable to do anything because of her laughter, just sat back at watched. Kumo took his mother a few feet away from the area of quickly moving wolves, rejecting anyone who came near him and his mother with a cold stare. Koga might be able to survive through a small bombardment of friends while nursing some injuries, but his mother would not be able to do such. He didn't dare tell Sesshomaru off when he approached though.

"Miko," Sesshomaru addressed her coldly, "Come with me."

Kumo looked down at his mother and when she nodded he put her down, sharing a slight glance with Sesshomaru. If anything happened to her he would kill the former taiyokai without hesitation, or, at least, he would try.

A few moments later Kagome found herself standing outside with a silent Sesshomaru, his golden eyes looking over what there was to see.

"...You wished to speak to me Sesshomaru?" she asked after a few moments of silence, the racket in the house undying.

"You haven't aged." It wasn't a question, but rather, a statement.

"No... I haven't."

"Explain."

She hesitated, but knew it would be stupid to refuse him an answer. She was well aware he wouldn't hesitate to kill her if she pissed him off.

"There's a well at the Higurashi shrine, my family's shrine, which transports me between times. As the reincarnation of Kikyo, I was born with the Shikon No Tama in my body, and its powers allowed me to cross over to the feudal time period when I fell in the well. My first day there was the day that InuYasha was released from his seal."

"Hn." His reply was simple as he continued to look at everything but her, his thoughts not readable on his stone cold face.

"Is there anything else you wish to speak to me of?" she asked after another few awkward moments.

"...I have Tetsusaiga in my possession." He said, "It still refuses this Sesshomaru. If you wish, you may have it. You have more use for it than I do."

"I am only a human, Sesshomaru. I can't use Tetsusaiga either." She said, "What use would I have for it? It is your family's possession."

"InuYasha," he began, the word rolling off his tongue with a sort of pain, "was the man you would have mated if you had been given the choice. I have no use for a sword I cannot wield. I no longer crave the sword now that I have one of my own. My Father's Fang may be useable by your son as well. It will be delivered to your family's shrine."

Kagome was surprised at how smoothly this awkward conversation was going, but said only what she felt safe saying.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru..." she paused, thinking her next words carefully, "...How did Rin die?"

Sesshomaru didn't answer her right away, and the pause made Kagome think she crossed a line. But seconds later he answered.

"She married and had her children. She died giving birth to her youngest son after she had seen at least thirty winters." A hint of sadness could be detected in his otherwise calm voice, "I have watched over her family line carefully ever since." He paused momentarily, "You are in her line of direct descendants."

Kagome froze, "So... you knew it was me all along?"

"I had my suspicions."

"Why didn't you come to see me?"

"This Sesshomaru is not one to tamper with time. Seeing me may have changed your course of actions and changed the outcomes of many things."

"It could have changed for the better if I knew what was coming."

"Again, this Sesshomaru is not one to tamper with time." He turned then, returning to the house, "It would be best to return inside. I would guess that your kit is eager to see you once more."

"Shippo is here?" she asked quietly, following him in the house.

"This Sesshomaru does not state the obvious."

Then he walked away from her, returning to his spot on the wall, the mob that had attacked Koga having long since dispersed as they listened to Kyoko, whom was explaining what had happened. Kagome took her place beside her son once more.

"What did he want?" the boy asked in a whisper, his arms folded across his chest.

"An explanation."

"Hm."

"So," Kyoko's voice was the only one heard as Kagome and Kumo ceased speaking, "Koga's back in charge and Kagome's back with him. That's the end of that. Now, has anyone run across any rumors of Naraku's whereabouts?"

The room was silent.

Kyoko sighed, "All right. I guess this meeting thing is over. Go do whatever the hell you want."

Then everyone was suddenly bursting out into conversation, crowding around their leader and others. And, before she could blink, a red haired man had pushed his way through the crowd, standing in front of her.

"Kagome!" the tall man was staring at her with his green eyes, a bit shocked, but suddenly she found herself in his hug, "Kagome! I knew you got away!"

Kagome smiled softly, her arms wrapping around him gently, "Shippo."

In second she found herself at arm length, his strong hands still holding onto her, "I couldn't tell them – I wasn't sure if I should! But I knew you didn't die. You couldn't have died! Even when Naraku said you had, I didn't believe him! God… I'm just so happy to see you again!"

"…Wait," Kumo's voice was cold and even, "You knew about this the whole time and didn't say anything, kitsune?!"

"No, Kumo," Kagome said quietly, turning to look over her shoulder at her son, "He was right not to tell you guys. It was better to think I was dead than know the information Naraku could have pulled from you. It was safer that way. You can't blame him."

"Hn."

Kagome managed to pull away from Shippo, Koga coming over to stand near her when he finally escaped the mob of his pack members.

"What do we do now?" he asked Kumo, "Live our lives until we find Naraku?"

"Pretty much."

"…How long has it been since he last paid you a visit?"

"He usually comes around every century or so. The last couple times he's waited until I'm alone to show up." Kumo answered, "It's been about a century in a half since we last saw him, so he could show up any day."

"Interesting."

"So, where are you guys staying?" Shippo asked, joining into the small circle they had created.

"At my Mother's House," Kagome answered, "To us, it's only been about a day since we fought Naraku."

"Well, I'm going with you." Kumo announced, "It'll be better than staying at my place."

"Then let's go." Koga announced, "Kagome needs her rest."

"So do you." Kagome interjected, not willing to be seen as the weakest of the group.

* * *

Kumo held out his hand towards the young boy, a small smile on his face, "Sorry for scaring you earlier."

"No problem," Souta said with an awkward smile, shaking the man's hand, "I'm good now."

"Still," Kumo said with a smile on his face, "I didn't make a good first impression on my uncle."

Souta, dropping the man's hand, stared up at him in confusion, "What do you mean, uncle?"

Kagome smiled awkwardly in Koga's arms as she and the wolf entered the room behind her son.

"Souta, meet my son, Kumo," Kagome's voice was quiet and slightly awkward, "You're his Uncle."

If Souta had been any more girly he probably would have fainted. But, instead, he spoke his confusion.

"How is he my… nephew? You weren't pregnant… you weren't…" the boy gave up on guessing, "What's going on?"

"Go get Mama and Grandpa and I'll tell you guys, ok?"

Souta was quick to react, going to round up his mother and grandfather from the Shrine grounds. In the mean time Koga lay Kagome on the couch they had given him as a quick bed, making her comfortable as he changed any bandages that need it, taking the material from the first aid kit that was left out. Kumo made himself comfortable on one end of the couch, his mother's head coming to rest on his lap when Koga was satisfied with her bandages. Koga sat on the floor, leaning up against the couch, one arm folded up so his hand could hold hers. Moments later both Mrs. Higurashi and her Grandfather showed up, standing opposite her with Souta sitting down in front of them.

"You wanted to tell us something?" Mrs. Higurashi asked as calm as possible.

"I'd like you all to meet Kumo," she said, Kumo motioning to himself as she talked, "He's my son."

Her family's responses were the same as Souta's.

"What do you mean… he's your son?"

Before Kagome could speak, Kumo started to explain, "Did my Mother ever tell you about how the people like Kagura and Byakuya were created?"

Mrs. Higurashi's confusion only deepened, "No."

"Well," Kumo continued, "They were detachments of Naraku, made from his flesh and bone. Technically, that is what I am. But when my mother was… 'kidnapped,' Naraku – my father – took some of her blood. When a detachment like me is created, our physical heart is in his possession, meaning that not only would we have no choice but to follow him and obey him, but he could also kill us at any time. But just as he can keep our hearts from us, he can also give us our hearts back and free us from him. My Mother's blood was put into my physical heart, making her biologically connected to me like any other mother would be. And then my Father gave me back my heart, freeing me from him, and I was delivered to my Mother. I've only seen him a few times since then.

"No, my Mother was no pregnant with me and she did not carry me, but she's treated me like she would any of her _'real'_ children and like any other mother would care for her child. She was there when I was young and scared, not knowing anything about the world around me, and she held me while I cried and slept even though she was lost in her own sorrows and her own darkness. It doesn't matter that we didn't go through the same process like a mother and baby usually do. She's still my mother. And if you're her family, I accept you as family too."

Kagome smiled, using her free hand to cup her son's face.

"You _are_ my real child, Kumo." She said quietly, his ruby red eyes meeting her brown ones, "Nothing can change that."

"I know." He muttered quietly, looking up at his family once more, his mother's hand dropping from his face.

"Well," Mrs. Higurashi said after a moment of silence, shifting slightly in her standing position, "Welcome to the family, Kumo."

Souta stood up then, looking at his nephew with nervous eyes.

"So…" he asked quietly, his eyes on the ground, "Do you play video games?"

* * *

Kagome had been carried up to her room after that, Koga lying down in the bed alongside her as Kumo play games with his uncle downstairs.

"You should get some rest," he said, cradling her close to his chest, his armor a pile on the floor, "You've got plenty of wounds that need to heal… You've had a pretty long day too."

She didn't answer him, just cuddled as close to him as she could. Reality was finally settling down her, the day's excitements finally over. The people she had known had died fighting around her and she hadn't been able to do a thing. All her friends, her second family, were dead. She couldn't jump back down the well and see them ever again. They weren't part of this world any more. They were unreachable… unattainable. Yes, she was reunited with some of them, but that didn't help. The man she had loved once was long gone. The monk that she had respected – and been groped by – wasn't there to give her advice anymore. Her sister, the demon slayer, wasn't going to be there to talk to and she wasn't going to come ask her for any advice any more. Even little Kirara was gone as well. And Ginta, the one who had made her laugh when he had Hakkaku and done something not so bright again, wasn't there to make her smile anymore. Kyo, the son of one of her best friends, had fallen, his sly remarks and smart comments never to be heard again. They were all dead… out of reach.

It made her feel so _alone_.

And so she cried silently into Koga's chest, clinging to him for dear life. And he held her the way he always did – his warmth flowing over her and his strong arms protecting her, shielding her from the world around her. His embrace was as welcome as ever, his arms around her and one of his hands entangled in her black locks, his nose buried gently into her hair.

He was hurting too, and his own tears fell into her hair the way hers fell onto his chest. But he didn't shake with his tears, he just held her a bit closer, the liquid streaming down his face in absolute silence. As long as he was with her he knew he had a reason to be strong, so he was. And as long as she was with him and her son she knew she had a reason to continue on, so she did. Somewhere in both of their hearts they understood what the other was feeling, and that was their bond that made them so strong. They understood the other's pain and the other's joy and that was what made them keep on going.

"Sleep Kagome," Koga's voice was quiet as he slipped into fatigue.

"…Be here when I wake up." She said quietly, closing her eyes.

"Of course," he hugged her closer, "I'll always be here if you want me to be."

And she silently fell into her world of dreams, something telling her she might be able to sleep without her nightmares.

* * *

The doorbell rang in the early hours of morning, while everyone slept. Kumo, always a light sleeper, woke to it, climbing off the couch gracefully as he yawned, making his way towards the door. With little effort he opened the door, one of his hands scratching at his scalp. His red eyes were met with golden ones, the inuyokai in front of him silently staring him down.

"Sesshomaru." Kumo didn't bother with formalities, "What do you need?"

"She's still asleep." Yet another statement, since Sesshomaru was never the one to ask questions.

"Yeah. She is. So is Koga. They've had a couple hard days."

"Deliver this to your mother." Sesshomaru handed him a brown paper wrapped item, expressionless as ever when Kumo took it into his possession.

"What is it?" Kumo was just as emotionless as Sesshomaru, his voice calm and even.

Sesshomaru turned without answering, beginning to walk away. Kumo slid the door closed in return, turning his back on the former taiyokai. He walked back into the main room with the package, lounging on the couch as he slid the paper off of the item. He slid the sword out of its cover to have it lay in his hand, his ruby red eyes scanning over it. This sword was probably the oldest piece of shit he had ever seen, and the reason that his mother would need something like this or why Sesshomaru would want her to have it was far beyond his knowledge. He was quite ready to toss the sword in the trash, but Sesshomaru had delivered it personally, so it had to be important by some standards. And, before he could try to figure out the secret of the sword on his own, it pulsed in his hands, the force sending it out of his grasp to land on the floor. With surprised look he reached down to pick it up, but before he could do so, someone else's hand was on it.

"It's been a while, Kumo," the man's voice was cold as he picked the sword up and out of the boy's reach.

Kumo froze. Slowly, he managed to sit back up as calmly as possible, one hand resting on his leg and the other held out in front of him.

"Hand it over." He tried to keep his voice as even as possible, but no one except Sesshomaru could possible pull that off with perfection.

"Do you think I'm going to steal it?" Blood red eyes stared down into ruby, a small smirk crossing the man's face, "Why would I have any interest in this?"

Kumo took a deep breath. Now was the time to pick his words very carefully. One wrong phrase could send everything spiraling down hill.

"…I wouldn't know."

"Of course you wouldn't… But tell me, how did you come upon something like this? I haven't seen it since the day I killed its true wielder."

"This shrine comes across many artifacts from the past…" Kumo knew better than to even mention Sesshomaru's name, "…I would suspect that the owners came across it."

"Do you know these owners?"

"Not very well."

"Then why are you here, sitting comfortably on their couch with one of their possessions in hand?"

Kumo thought fast, "Their son. I've been tutoring him."

"Do not lie to your Father, Kumo. You know better than that."

Kumo stood then, taking another deep and calming breath as he glared into the man's eyes.

"I don't have a reason to explain myself to the monster that is Naraku." Kumo spat out, snatching the sword away from the man, feeling the blade's readiness sweep through him on contact.

"Then I assume your answer has been the same as it has always been?" Naraku asked, ignoring the fact that something had just been snatched from him, "Has this visit been yet another waste?"

"All your visits are wasteful," Kumo spat out, taking something of a defensive stance, his knuckles turning white around the sheathed Tetsusaiga.

"One day you will come to me, son, when the wolves betray you."

"The wolves raised me! They would never betray me!"

"That's what you think now. That Kagome girl is probably the only woman in the world who would accept you for who you are, but she's not here anymore, is she?" Kumo felt like launching himself at the hanyo, but knew that would be the dumbest thing he could possibly do, "Soon those wolves will realize that you're the _monster_ that you claim I am as well. They'll turn their back on you and then every demon around the globe will come to hunt you down with your little wolf pack gone. You'll die if you don't come to me first."

"I'd rather die than be accepted by you!" Kumo was enraged, the ruby in his eyes lighting fire as the sword pulsed in his hand once again.

"Oh really?" Kumo could feel the danger radiating from the man in front of him, "Well, what if I take you by force?"

In seconds Kumo found himself smashed against a wall, cold tentacles wrapped around his neck and torso.

"I've been generous, boy," Naraku continued, "I've given you a choice. But what if I stop being so generous? What if I take you by force and tear you away from the pack you call your family? All I have to do is break through that little chest of yours and take your heart out for you to belong to me again!"

Naraku advanced then, coming to rest his hand on Kumo's chest, "What if I took away your freedom right now?"

Through his adrenaline he could feel the sword pulse even stronger in his grasp, begging to be let out. So Kumo took that chance.

"What if I chopped off your fucking head right now?!"

The sword burst into life as he drew it, elongating and enlarging to a point where it dug itself into Naraku's stomach.

"Well? What if I kill you now?" Kumo asked as the tentacles dropped him, Naraku falling back to remove the sword from himself, "What if I take this sword and shove it through your brain?!"

Naraku opened his mouth to speak, but an earsplitting shriek echoed through the house from the upstairs room, stopping all movement. A moment of silence followed, the blood red and ruby unflinchingly staring into the other's soul, each ready to pounce through the sudden tension that had filled the air.

"…She's here?" Naraku's voice was calm and curious as he righted himself into a standing position, the large wound mending itself as he spoke.

Kumo cursed under his breath.

"So my dear Kagome managed to make it to this time?" Naraku wasn't speaking to anyone in particular as a smirk painted itself across his face, his wound long since healed, "…I guess this visit wasn't a complete waste, was it then Kumo? I've gained quite a bit of information…"

"Leave." Kumo ordered, knowing that he would have to fight if Naraku didn't listen, "Get out of here."

The dark spider hanyo looked at him with emotion in his eyes that the boy couldn't read, and a second later disappeared to leave only wisps of black smoke behind. The moment he could bring himself to move he dashed up to the next story of the house, opening his mother's door without knocking, Tetsusaiga still held fully transformed in his hands.

Koga's eyes met his, Kagome buried deep in his embrace.

"…Does he know?"

Kumo collapsed to his knees, defeated in everyway as he dropped Tetsusaiga behind him.

"Yes."

* * *

**A/N: Damn. Update after update after update! I should be getting millions of reviews for this!**

Just kidding, but whatever. 

**So read, review, and enjoy!**


	13. Mother and Son

There hadn't been any argument on what to do next. Kumo had written a speedy note explaining what had happened to the family, packed up whatever his mother would need in a bag, and they had been out of the house as soon as possible. There was no place in the world that Kagome could possibly hide from Naraku, but he wasn't about to put anyone in unnecessary danger. So, with Koga holding his mother and following close behind, Kumo had led them to his own small apartment on the outskirts of the city, knowing this would be one of the few places where he could feel safest to bring his mother.

Quickly entering the house with the others behind him, he entered his room and began to throw the dirty clothes and other things that littered his bedroom's carpet into their correct places, telling Koga to lay down his frightened mother in his bed. So, when he was satisfied with the newly uncovered carpet, he took his place beside Koga on the bed, looking down at his mother.

"What made her scream?" he asked Koga quietly, not turning his gaze towards the wolf demon.

"A nightmare, I guess," he answered, watching as Kagome slipped back into a world of dreams, "Or she realized he was there."

"...What should we do? He knows she's here now. She's not safe."

"C'mon," Koga said, nodding towards the bedroom door, "Let's let her sleep."

So the two men exited the room, quietly closing the door behind them, sitting down to talk out in the main room of the one room apartment.

"Get in contact with Kyoko," Koga said, "She'll know what to do. I'm lost when it comes to navigating around this time period, or even using anything. But first, tell me what he did when he figured out Kagome was here."

Kumo sighed, closing his eyes and replaying the memory, "He just... paused. His eyes kind of fogged over for a second and then he got a look on his face I couldn't understand. It was almost like... he was happy that he'd been wrong about something. He was almost... happy even though he was angry at the same time... It's hard to explain. I just know that he was going to hurt her, or _is_ going to hurt her I guess."

Koga sighed, massaging his temples, "Well, get a hold of Kyoko. And Shippo too, I guess. Tell them what's happened. Kyoko can't alert the rest of the pack yet, though. They just need to get over here."

"Alright," Kumo said, standing to pull his cell phone out of his pocket, "I'll call. You can watch TV or something. Just watch the news or something."

"What the hell is a 'TV'?"

Kumo sighed, bending over to pick up a small remote. With a click of the power button the television set in front of them burst to life, Kumo quickly changing it over to a national and worldwide news broadcast.

When Koga opened his mouth to ask a question, Kumo interrupted him, "Don't ask. Just watch. Stuff like this is normal now a days."

Koga obeyed, sitting back and watching the moving pictures on the television.

* * *

Kumo sighed, holding the phone at arm's length. Kyoko was screaming loud enough that he could hear every single word without problem on the other end of the line, his ears quickly getting sore.

"Kyoko!" he yelled, bringing the phone back up to his ear, "What we need now is something for Mother. Not sore ears from listening to you scream your lungs out."

The woman on the other side of the line sighed, "You're right."

"I always am."

"Don't be arrogant. Now, first, where are you guys?"

"My place."

"Where's Kagome?"

"Asleep in my room."

"Koga?"

"I turned on the TV for him."

"Sesshomaru?"

Kumo paused, "Why the hell would he be here?"

"Why the hell isn't he there?" Kyoko asked, annoyed, "Naraku showed up minutes after he left the house, right? Sesshomaru would have to be dead not to realize he was that close."

"Well," Kumo said with a sigh, "He's not here. Haven't seen him since."

Kyoko sighed in frustration, "Well, I'm sending Shippo and Hakkaku over there. I guess I'll call Sesshomaru for the second time this week... You're going to have a full house soon. I'll head over when I get everything set up."

"Koga said not to alert the whole pack."

"...Alright. I'll see you soon."

"See you."

The line died and Kumo shut the phone with a snap, massaging his temples. After a moment he made his way back to his room, opening the door quietly. He peeked in on his mother silently, comforted that she was sleeping soundly.

"Kumo..." she whispered quietly, slowly propping herself up on her elbow.

Apparently, she wasn't asleep.

"Yes, Mother?" he asked quietly, entering the room.

"Come here please."

He obeyed, silently sitting on the edge of the bed, "Yes?"

Her hand reached up to touch his face, her eyes watering, "I never meant to leave you."

"I know, Mother," he brushed her bangs out of her face, "I never blamed you for leaving me."

"I feel horrible," she admitted quietly, "You lived for hundreds of years thinking I had died. And then I just show up one day... After all those years..."

"Mother, I don't blame you. I'll forgive you if you want me to forgive you, but really, there isn't any thing to forgive." He sighed, easing her back down into a laying position, "Kyoko raised me in your place. Yes, it was hard, but when I walked into your house yesterday I experienced a type of happiness I'd never felt before. I was just happy that he hadn't killed you and that you were alive. I don't care that you weren't there for five hundred years. I'm just glad you survived, I'm just glad Koga made sure you were safe. If anything, I should be apologizing to you."

"For what?" she asked quietly, "You've done nothing wrong."

"For not killing him when I had the chance. For believing that you really were dead. For..." he paused, closing his eyes, "For existing."

He suddenly found himself in his mother embrace, her cold tears landing in his hair, "No... Don't think that... No, Kumo... No..."

"Mother..."

"You were there when I couldn't escape. You were something to live for. Everything that had happened to me didn't seem as bad when I knew you were the result. You took my hand and pulled me out of the darkness. You and Koga... You both saved me from myself."

"Mother..."

She pulled him closer to her, "Don't ever think I hated you. Don't ever think that. I love you, Kumo. You're my son. One of the reasons to keep on living."

He sighed, smiling slightly as he gently pushed her away, "Thank you, Mother."

She smiled as he yet again pushed her into a laying position.

"Rest a bit longer," He told her quietly as he stood, "Shippo, Hakkaku, and Kyoko will be here soon. I'll wake you when they come."

As he turned to leave, he remembered something. He headed over to his dresser, picking up the sword he had put there.

"Mother, before Naraku came, Sesshomaru came to deliver this." He handed it to her, "He said it was for you."

She smiled, looking over the sword with sad eyes.

"What does it mean to you Mother?" Kumo asked quietly, once again making his way to the door.

"It was InuYasha's sword... Tetsusaiga..."

"It's powerful."

"Yes..." she seemed to be lost in memory, "It is."

"Now rest, Mother," Kumo said quietly as he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him, "I'll wake you later."

* * *

_She's alive... _

His thoughts echoed inside his head, the long absent feeling of excited anger coursing through him.

Yes, Kagome might have escaped his grip so long ago, but now she was back. It made a part of him angry that she had shown up after so long, but another part of him felt a sort of joy. Ever since she'd been rescued after he'd kidnapped her, she had been a source of entertainment for him. Because of what he had done she was a great target for manipulation and an easy subject to let his anger out on. No matter how much she thought she would be able to heal he could always be there to break her down again. And she had given him the greatest weapon of all, even though the said gift hated him to his core.

Kumo had been his strongest detachment. And with the blood of the miko he had grown to heights that rivaled Naraku's own power, as well as Sesshomaru's, a fact that Naraku had pride in. No matter how free the boy was right now, it was all too easy to take that freedom away and make him his again. He had many plans in store for the boy, and all that needed to be done was for those plans to be put into action. And if Kumo could wield Tetsusaiga under his command, Naraku was confident that he would be invincible.

All he needed was time and his empire would be complete.

The only things standing in his way was a former taiyokai, a broken miko, a detachment, and a wolf tribe. Now, how hard would it be to defeat all of them?

It felt as if the world had been handed to Naraku on a silver platter, and now all he needed to do was take control of it.

Everything just seemed so... _easy_.

* * *

**A/N: Really short chapter. Kind of a filler chapter, actually. The next chapter will be longer - I promise.**

So, read, review, enjoy!  



	14. I Love You

The black market. _His_ black market. So secret it wasn't even illegal. Most of it wasn't illegal, anyways. Many things passed hands through his connections, many items the human world would be in uproar if they found out existed. Magic talismans that hid demonic traits, items that tamed the darker side of hanyo blood. Items of unimaginable power that only he dared to possess. Though he had lost the title of Lord when the demon hierarchy had crumbled, he had gained a much more powerful position over time. In a way, he ruled the demonic world. He was the one that allowed the things that demons needed to survive be passed back and forth, he was the one that kept all of this in absolute secrecy. Without him, the demonic world would have crumbled as the hierarchy had.

In a way, he had ended up making that empire he had said he would rule. It had just turned out differently than planned, that was all.

What irked him was that he had thought he knew everything in this world that had unimaginable power. But yet again, just as she had done in the past, that little human miko had proved him wrong. The well and its powers had gone undiscovered by all but the miko and his deceased brother, which was a blessing. But that blessing made him slightly annoyed. If he had known that, he could have done something about what had happened back then.

He visibly twitched, sighing.

No, he wouldn't have said a word to the female. Who knew what she would do if he had approached her at the wrong time? Things could have been changed to much. But if he had known, if he had used the well's powers on his own, he could have been in the past and out without detection, and Naraku would have fallen without a second's notice. He wouldn't have let something as important as that in the hands of that little female. It would have been unthinkable to let her know of what was going to happen. But... maybe...

_The past is the past. _

He opened his golden eyes, turning his attention to the computer screen. Many peoples names were there, as well as many items that were being traded, and much more information. Letters and numbers of all sorts of languages he had mastered, pointless information that he didn't care about. Nothing there, whether it be magical or not, meant anything to him. The things he wanted were already obtained, either nearby or in another location across the world.

He carelessly clicked a button, watching new information appear on the screen in front of him. More names beside a large family tree, each with listed information of their occupation and residence. A special few had small tidbits of information listed as well, but none of them were important. They were just relatives of the small girl that had followed him around long ago, people he so pointlessly kept track of and out of harm's way. It had come to a point where he didn't know why he did this anymore, as pointless as it was. They might be direct descendants, but they were so distantly related to her it didn't even matter anymore. He didn't see why he did it, but he did, despite what he sometimes thought.

Another click of a button and a nearly blank screen appeared, its contents pathetic in comparison to the pages previous. It contained a few tidbits of information next to dates long past, now useless to any investigation. With a sigh he typed in the newest line of information, the newest tidbit of nearly useless information.

_Higurashi Household. Early hours of morning._

The place and time of the last sighting of Naraku.

He sighed, shutting closed the screen of the laptop.

Briefly, he wondered if this fight was even worth while any longer. Long ago, the dark hanyo had insulted him by kidnapping his ward. Back then that had been enough reason to take down the man. But now it didn't matter. The only thing the hanyo had done against him was kill a long tolerated nuisance named InuYasha.

It was hard to believe that he only continued in this fight to avenge his much hated younger brother.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when his cell phone began to vibrate in its spot beside the laptop, the wolf woman's name flashing across the small outer screen. He gazed at it with silent golden eyes, making no move to answer his call. And eventually the phone fell into silence as it rang out, becoming once again motionless and lifeless. People needed him, but for some reason he didn't want to be needed. He didn't even want to be himself at this point – he didn't want to be the man who ran all of this and held all the power he had ever strived for, he didn't want to be the pinnacle of perfection. A part of him wanted to be something else, something with imperfections and mutations, with problems and wrongs. He wanted to be living a life of silence and privacy, a life where people hated him so much they left him be. Where people looked down upon him and spat at his feet, where they told him he was less than what he really was. He wanted to be able to prove them wrong while being able to be left alone by the people he despised, to be able to have people he wanted around him.

It was just hard to accept this, it was a hard task to realize who he really wanted to be. And it was hard to believe that after all this work he had obtained something he really didn't work, that after all he had done he had only paved a path to a life he despised. And it was so hard to accept a simple fact that his hate had been misplaced, that he could have done so much more if he'd only listened to the part of him that he had purposely kept locked away.

He just didn't want to realize that a part of him wanted to be InuYasha.

* * *

She didn't like what she saw. The person that stared back at her was empty and sad, a person she didn't remember. Once happy eyes were dull and empty, once beautiful lips were chapped, cut, and swollen, the corners hanging downwards. Once beautiful skin was pale and cold, once healthy hair hung around her face in dead strands. She wasn't who she was... she was just a shell of someone she wanted to be.

She brushed the comb through her hair with half a heart, a part of her wanted to just break down and cry at the sight of her reflection in the mirror. But she held the urge back as she dragged the comb through her hair a second time, the tangles disappearing but not helping her image much. So with a defeated sigh she set the brush down on the sink, setting her elbows on the sink's rim and burying her face in her hands. Being strong just seemed to hard... just to hard...

The door opened quietly and a slight knock sounded as someone tapped against the wall's door frame, but she didn't look up. She just stayed bent over, holding back her emotions, feeling defeat settling heavy on her shoulders. But soon warm hands pulled her back up into a standing position, Koga's warmth welcomed on her cold skin.

"What's wrong?" it was a question she noticed he asked a lot, and for some reason her heart felt even heavier.

"...I lost myself..." they were words she found hard to speak, but they slipped off her tongue in a slow grace, "...I'm not Kagome anymore..."

"Then who are you?"

She turned her eyes away from the mirror, away from the reflection of his blue gaze that stared at her, "...No one."

"You have to be someone." This wasn't his usual comforting speech. He spoke words that almost hurt, that almost made her cry.

"He took that from me."

"No he didn't." he spoke the painful truth, "You're just afraid to see what happened to Kagome. You're afraid to let her come back because she might be even worse than the shell you created."

Why was he being so cruel?

"I'm not afraid."

"Then what holds you back?"

"...Memories."

His hands fell from her, leaving her with a cold chill, "You can overcome them. All they stand for are past events."

She rounded on him, her eyes striking with a life that had only been unleashed a rare few times as she spun around to stare straight into his blue eyes, "Why are you being so cruel?! Do you hate me?! Or have you finally realized that I'll never be the girl you fell in love with?!"

He was silent, so she continued on.

"You've finally realized I'm just a whore, haven't you!? I'm just Naraku's used possession!" her anger made the tears stream down her face, stinging and burning her pale skin, "So throw me away like he did! Kick me to the curb and forget all about me! You'll be better off that way, won't you?!"

No emotion crossed his face as she stared up at him, a sudden fatigue sweeping over her. But suddenly she found that his hands were back on her shoulders as he span her around, her own brown eyes staring back at her from inside the mirror.

"What do you see?" his voice was calm and even, no hint of emotion in it.

She stared at herself, looking straight into the brown depth that she hated. She saw nothing for a moment, she saw nothing important or worthy on the empty face that was spotted with tears.

"There isn't anything there."

"Who do you see?"

"...No one."

"Who do you want to see?"

His question felt like a blow to the chest, knocking her of her air. Who did she want to see? Who did she want to stare back out at her?

...She just wanted to see the girl she remembered staring back out of her, of course. She just wanted to see the smiling Kagome Higurashi reflected back at her, the brown eyes she remember staring back at her. She just wanted to see... herself. The real her. The person that hadn't been broken into a thousand pieces.

"...Me."

"You can see her if you want to." His voice suddenly seemed kinder to her ears, "You just have to not be afraid of what you're going to see when you look upon your real self once again."

Was she really afraid? Was she afraid to see what she had become, to come face to face with the truest form of reality?

_...Yes. I am._

The moment the thought crossed her mind she realized the solution to all of this. She knew the cure to all this pain, she understood why her savior had been so cruel.

"Are you ready to see her?" his voice was soft and welcome.

The words stuck in her throat, so she just nodded, fear spreading through ever part of her.

"Close your eyes."

She found herself frozen stiff, so scared she couldn't even do something that simple. But his hand came to rest over her eyes, warmth from his touch spreading over her face. She took a deep breath, feeling the air rush down her throat to fill her lungs, every sense heightened with her fear.

"Now..." his voice was smooth and even as she focused on him and only him, "...Just stop hiding yourself away."

She kept her breath held as another wave of fear crashed over her, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. She didn't know what to do... she didn't know what to expect.

_Just let it all go. _

She heard a voice so much smoother than her own echo through her mind, reminding her of so many times that had been happier. She finally heard herself, the real Kagome Higurashi, and she was ready to see her again. She was tired of being the shell, tired of the pain, tired of the fear.

_Exhale._

And she did, letting all her fear flow right out of her. With the fear some of the weight lifted, some of the strings that pulled her heart down snapped. She felt the barricade of her unwanted memories break, all the horrors passing over her minds eye. Again she felt every unwanted touch, every cruel words echoing through her head. She felt the cold air from her memories sweep over her like a ghost, every chafe of her skin becoming a passing pain over her body. She could feel the dark aura that created him weighing down her senses, as if he were standing beside her. But, there was something different about it this time.

None of it hurt. None of it made her want to cry, none of it made her want to curl into a ball and die. She didn't feel helpless, she didn't feel sad. She just felt... accepting.

It had happened. The pain would never really leave. But accepting what had happened, not locking it away and trying to forget it, made it hurt so much less.

She felt Koga's hand lift off of her face, her eyes overcome with the artificial light of the lamps. At first she was looking at the mirror, not really seeing anything as her eyes focused for what seemed the first time. But then she met contact with her own eyes reflected on the glass. They were alive, filled with different emotions as she looked at herself, in awe of what she was seeing. She saw how much older she had become, how her face had become molded with time and experience. She realized that her face wasn't as pale, that her skin wasn't as cold as she thought it was. Her hair had its shine and it's live, her still beat up lips looked a bit healthier.

"Who do you see?"

She heard him as one of her hands came to touch at the glass, as if she wasn't convinced that what she was seeing was real.

"I see... Kagome..." her voice was full again, smooth and soft even though time the weakness wasn't completely gone, "...I see me."

She saw his reflection smile and felt his arms wrap around her waist as his face became buried in the crook of her neck.

"I'm glad you're back." He whispered to her, his lips brushing against her skin and sending the blood rushing to her face.

The second the urge rolled over her she turned around in his hold, causing him to lift his head back up, blue eyes meeting with brown for what seemed like the first time in years. She lifted her arms to wrap her hands around his neck, standing on her toes to give her the extra height she needed. Her lips smashed against his without restraint, warmth spreading throughout both their bodies at the contact. He returned her with everything he had, his fingers tangling in her hair as he bent down so she could stand normally, all his senses alert. And as she kissed him she felt herself become free, all her pains leaving her and all the scars that lay across her body becoming nothing.

When they parted it seemed to soon, but he kept her close as he cradled her in his chest.

"I love you." The words rolled off her tongue as she embraced the feelings she'd kept locked deep inside her for the first time, "..._I love you_."

"And I love you." His words spread warmth throughout her unlike they ever had before.

In the past, he'd said this to her many times. And she had returned it before as well, but right now those three simple words meant so much more. This time they were real in both of their minds, they were accepted by both of them. The words connected them and disconnected Naraku, they made the world shrink to just surround them.

And, finally, she was better.

She was _truly_ healed.

* * *

"If I lay here,  
If I just lay here,  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"

-Chasing Cars; "If I lay here"


	15. Without a Trace

"C'mon, Koga," she urged, tugging him along by his hand, "You don't have to walk that slow."

He smiled with a small chuckle, "Alright, Alright," he came to walk directly by her side, his arm snaking around her waist, "I'm not used to seeing you like this, you know."

"But that's a good thing!" she pointed out with a smile.

"Yes," he agreed, "It is. But still you can't bring yourself to tell me where the hell you're dragging me to."

"I can't exactly do that when I don't even know where we're going. I just wanted to get out of the house. It's been a long time since I've been home, you know."

"...I guess so."

Kagome continued to lead Koga down the streets of her hometown, gaining more distance away from her son's apartment. It had long since been established today that there wasn't much they could do at this point, with Naraku being untraceable and such. So Kagome had taken the opportunity to drag Koga out of the apartment and take him on a nice little walk, with the excuse that he needed to learn and get used to the things in this time period if he was going to stay here with her. He hadn't protested to it much, but hadn't liked the idea of having to wear the talisman. But she'd won that fight, because simply, people didn't walk around with fluffy tails hanging out of their pants. And even in the convention scene, none of the tails were ever _real. _So after shoving the necklace down over his head, she'd pulled her now tail-less, fang-less, rounded eared wolf out to the streets. At first, he'd had a similar reaction to InuYasha's first sight of cars, but Kagome had been able to stop him from jumping out and destroying the first one that zoomed by him on the street without having to sending him face first into the cement. And as they walked she pointed out the things that were foreign to him, such as lamp posts, stoplights, bicycles, baby strollers, and a number of other objects, explaining what they were. He was a good student, for it didn't take him long to stop growling at everything that passed him by. And now he was walking alongside her, neck craned skywards so he might stare up at the tall buildings.

"Why the hell do you build those things so tall? It seems pointless."

"Lots of people have to go there for work, Koga. I doubt anyone actually lives in the skyscrapers. Companies own them and it's like their base of operations – everyone does all the marketing and computer work there. And the rest of the smaller buildings are just stores. They build them as big as they need to be to store everything."

"Mortals used to get by with a hut and farming land." He stated plainly.

"Things change with time, Koga. Only a few people actually have farms anymore."

"Apparently."

"Oh, C'mon," she urged with a smile, "You're gonna have to get used to it. It's not that big of a change... except for electricity and all that."

He laughed, "Yeah. This _so_ isn't a _huge_ change. But as long as I'm with you, I think I'll be fine."

"Don't expect me to make any promises." She teased, pulling him to a stop at a street corner when he tried to walk into oncoming traffic out of his lack of attention, waiting for the light to change so they might cross the street, "But I promise that I'll try and keep you from getting plowed over by any cars."

He laughed again, "It'll probably be those iron carriages that get hurt, not me."

"Now you're starting to sound like InuYasha, Mr. Invincible," she elbowed him in his side, "Maybe I should just shove you back down the well and be rid of you."

"I'd come back," he said with a smirk, pulling her a bit closer to him as she began to drag him across a now busy crosswalk as the light turned green to allow them safe passage.

When they arrived on the other side of the street she caught sight of the entrance to a park, leading him over to it in silence. It had been a day or two since she'd kissed him for the first time, and things had calmed down a little bit. She'd found it easier to talk about her friends in a surprisingly quick time, and now constantly teased Koga with remarks about InuYasha. Yes, it still stung when his name dropped from her lips, but it was a bearable pain. He was dead – there wasn't anything she could do about that. It was a hard fact to accept, but she did it none the less.

"What is this place?" he asked after a moment, "This is the first cluster of trees I've seen in days."

"It's a park," she said with a giggle, "All places have them. It's a place where the children can play and people can 'appreciate' the wildlife. It isn't a particularly safe place to hang out at night though."

"Why?"

"It's when the people you'd rather not run into come here. Just not a smart idea to be here after hours, if you're a regular mortal. Especially for us females."

"Well, you're safe with me," he said with his confident grin, "You don't have anything to be afraid of."

"Except your ego, maybe." She muttered under her breath, amused.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" she sang with a laugh, dragging him to sit on a park bench.

With a sigh she rest her head on his shoulder, unable to see his automatic blush and grin. He gave her a small squeeze from where his hand wrapped around her waist, taking the moment to move her so she was sitting in his lap, his other arm wrapping around her so she was in more of a cradled position. She quickly made herself comfortable in his arms, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes.

"Do you like it here?" she asked quietly, "Is it alright that I... that I took you from your home?"

"I miss it. But I'm happy here, as long as I'm with you." He assured, "It's not like I'm mad, or anything. It's just a little different here."

"You do realize... That I'm not going to live as long as you. That I will end up leaving you alone one day."

He hugged her a bit closer, "I'll be ok, but that isn't going to happen for a long time. Don't worry about it."

"Hmm." She mumbled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I won't want to leave... I don't want to leave."

"I know." He smiled a bit sadly, "But you just can't change some things. You know that. Now stop talking, you're making yourself sad."

She smiled weakly and kissed his cheek, turning him another shade of scarlet. At that exact moment her stomach rumbled, screaming for food. He looked down at her with a smirk.

"Someone's hungry."

She laughed, "I guess so. Are you?"

"I'm more afraid of what you're going to shove in my mouth than starving to death."

She jumped up, pulling him to a standing position, "InuYasha was right – you are a wimp."

"Is that a challenge?" he asked with a smirk, his arm going back to it's spot wrapped around her waist.

"Yes it is." She teased, "Now c'mon, let's see if you like hamburgers."

"...What's that?"

She just laughed, leading him along.

* * *

Apparently, processed meat was a good substitute for meat right off the bone. The rest of the ingredients to the hamburger probably helped. And, luckily for Kagome, Koga discarded his usual eating style as he looked around the fast food joint's customers. He was actually eating like a human and not looking like he had been starved his entire life. That was a miracle in itself.

So, Koga ended up thoroughly enjoying the hamburger, eating a grand total of five, which was probably the bare minimum for his stomach. Kagome ate quietly with a small smile on her face as he quickly diminished his order in the most human like way possible, glad that her son had stuffed her wallet from her room in the pack he'd pulled together when Naraku had paid his little visit to them. With her absence from this time while she was away, she'd actually saved up a good amount of cash.

They had decided to return back to the park after lunch, returning to the same bench they'd sat on before. He didn't cradle her in his arms this time, but she still lay against him from her spot beside him, her fingers entangled with his, the arm wrapped around from behind her. And for a long they sat and watched the grass grow, speaking of small things from the past or listening to Kagome as she explained the workings of the new world. And when the sun began to set they had thought the day was going to close on a good note, but just as they stood, Kumo jumped down from the trees, an angry look on his face. Accompanying him was a very frightened looking mortal who was held in his tight grasp by a handful of his black hair, which also shielded his face from view, Kumo's expression actually sending chills through Kagome's system.

"What the hell is going on, kid?" Koga asked, "Who the hell is that?"

But before Koga could receive a response, Shippo and Hakkaku appeared in front of them, carrying Kyoko as she draped her arms around each of their shoulders.

"Hi guys!" she said giddily, trying to stand on her own but failing to do so as her two escorts caught her, a very uncharacteristic drunk look on her face, "Nice day, ain't it?"

Kagome could only assume that Kyoko had gone through at least a couple pounds of weed to cause this type of reaction, since she highly doubted alcohol effected demons. But it was her son who explained it in a controlled, angry tone.

"This little bastard," Kumo began, shoving the human forward with a harsh yank of his hair, exposing the man's face to the couple, "snuck in somehow and _drugged_ Kyoko with something. The woman can't even walk, let alone form a sentence that makes sense!"

"Dude..." Kyoko began, head titled to the side as she studied Koga, "You wear... black hair... like a chick. But you're... a dude. Or at least you'd have to be, since you've got no boobs! Or are you a transvestite!?"

"...She's really messed up." Shippo stated.

"Apparently," Koga responded, turning his attention away from Kyoko to look at the mortal. But before he could say a single word, he was frozen stiff by the man's face.

"...InuYasha..." Kagome's voice was almost inaudible beside him, her body pressing a bit closer to his as she stared at the black haired man in front of him.

And it wasn't any joke. Koga had encountered InuYasha in his human form before, and this man was a spitting image of the long dead hanyo. The same angry brown eyes, same skin color, same hair.

"Take a picture," the man spat out in a voice that was nothing like the hanyo they remembered, "It'll last longer."

Kumo gave him a violent yank by the hair, causing the man to let out a sharp sound of pain.

"What's your name?" Koga asked harshly after a moment, trying his best to expel InuYasha from his mind's eye, "And why the hell did you drug her?"

"Get your freak offa' me and I might answer you!" the man retorted, trying to release himself from Kumo's grasp with fail.

"Kumo, it's alright," Kagome said in a shocked, quiet voice, "Let him go. He won't be able to run far if he tries to bolt."

Kumo obeyed almost immediately, responding with a teasing statement, making the air a little less heavy on their shoulders, "Great job, Mother. You just boosted Koga's already inflated ego."

"Well," Koga said, ignoring his woman's son, "What the hell is your name?"

"Kappei." The man responded angrily, staring the wolf in front of him down without hesitation, "But that's all you're ever gonna learn about me."

"Oh really?" if the man had known any better, he would have never challenged Koga, who automatically clamped down his hand on Kappei's unsuspecting throat, "What would happen if I snapped your neck."

"My secrets... would... die with me!" the man chocked out, hands gripping Koga's wrist with surprising strength for a mortal.

With an angry look, Koga dropped the man into a heap on the ground, glaring down at him.

"You'll tell me why you drugged her, or I promise you'll be meeting a fate much worse than death."

In response the man just sneered, Koga's hair being tugged by a curious Kyoko.

"I wasn't even supposed to drug her." The man said with a smirk, "I was supposed to drug someone else. But I guess you'll never know who it was supposed to be, will you, you bastard?"

That was much too information for the man to give out, for Kagome could easily piece the puzzles together even with that little information.

"Naraku got you, Kappei, to work for him," she told the man, who had just pulled himself to his feet, "He got you because you're the reincarnation of InuYasha, and he thought that would make me weak. So he told you to go drug me and bring me to him, and he gave you a drug that was strong enough to affect demons just in case. But you screwed up and mistook Kyoko for me, didn't you?"

The man was too shocked to speak, and even if he had pulled himself together and formed a coherent sentence, Koga's punch to his face stopped him from beginning to do such. Kappei went flying, smashing into a nearby tree and sliding to the ground. Kagome was quick to hold Koga back from going and beating him up some more, because she knew he'd fight him like he fought InuYasha, and that would mean Kappei's death.

"Don't hold me back, Kagome."

"Koga, you'll hurt him."

"He was going to kidnap you, Kagome!" He said angrily, looking down at the miko.

"I know. And I'd really let you have a go at him if I was sure you weren't going to mistake him for InuYasha. Koga, this kid is probably in contact with Naraku. He has information we could use! If he didn't I'd let you do whatever you wanted, reincarnation or not. No man like that could ever live up to what InuYasha was, whether or not they shared the same soul."

Koga exhaled a bit angrily, but forfeited his want to fight the man. Instead, he turned to Kumo.

"Get him again and take him back to your place." When the man nodded, Koga turned to the other trio, "Take Kyoko back and get her settled down. She'll come out of it soon enough. We'll follow you back."

And then they were off, jumping from roof to roof at speed to quick for others to see and make sense of, soon arriving at the apartment. But all stopped at the door, which was wide open.

"I closed the door behind me..." Kumo muttered, stepping across the threshold slowly, "Who is here?!"

"If you wish for others to not enter your home when you are absent, it would be wise to actually lock your door," a deep voice said, "But it is only I, Sesshomaru, so a lock wouldn't have helped you any either way."

"Sesshomaru!?" Kyoko yelled in her intoxicated state, stumbling away from her escorts to hang on Kumo's back, to get a peek of the taiyokai over the man's back before she turned her attention to everyone, "Dudes, dog-turd is back! And he is _one pretty woman_!"

Koga groaned as Kyoko's escorts took her back into their custody, following in behind Kumo with Kagome in his arms.

"Why are you here, Sesshomaru?" Kumo asked as he stared down at the taiyokai seated on his couch, keeping his hold strong on the unconscious Kappei as the door shut behind the others as they entered, "Is there something you wish to speak of?"

"A member of my clan was killed mere hours ago by Naraku. This Sesshomaru believes that Naraku has shown himself to the world again."

"Of course he has!" Koga interjected, "But what the hell does your clan member have anything to do with us? Shouldn't you be out searching for the bastard on your own, not talking to us?"

"I, myself, cannot take down Naraku single handedly."

Kagome jumped down from Koga's hold, "No, you can't," she agreed, "Because you aren't Sesshomaru."

"What?" Kumo asked incredulously.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked, "And really, if you want to impersonate someone, learn about them. Firstly, Sesshomaru would never admit that he couldn't take on Naraku single handedly, because he sure as hell could. Secondly, he never would have answered Kumo. He would have been the pompous bastard he is and stayed completely silent until someone saw him. And thirdly, I doubt he'd be lounging on the couch. That's something humans do when they are waiting. He'd probably lean up against the wall and wait with his eyes closed. Hell, he probably would have waited outside for us! And, lastly, he doesn't talk like that. He's more conceded than you make him out to be. Plus, his aura is a lot colder than yours. _A lot_ colder. Oh, and on another note," she glared at the imposter, "He's already aware that Naraku is out there again. Better luck next time."

A long, lingering silence commenced afterwards, making everyone nervous with the tension as they thought over what Kagome had just said.

"...She's right..." Shippo said after a moment, "She's completely right."

In a millisecond Kagome found herself behind both Koga and Kumo, each ready to pounce on the man. And they probably would have gotten whoever it was if someone didn't enter the room at that point. With the sound of the door their attention was directed somewhere else, their heads turning to look at who was entering.

And there was the real thing, the cold and deadly graceful Sesshomaru.

But by the time they all turned their attention back to the imposter, he was gone without a trace. And it was Koga who noticed the second problem, the much more important problem.

Kagome was gone too.

* * *

**A/N: Kinda short and with an incredibly mean and horrible cliff hanger! But I hope you still love me!**

**Read and Review to keep me going!**


	16. Rape

**A/N: !!WARNING!! - This chapter contains graphic material that implies sex or describes its actions. Anyone who is offended by such should skip this chapter _completely_. But, because of the major importance of some of the scenes that appear in this chapter (such as answers to questions not answered up until now or plot twists you cannot miss otherwise you will be lost in following chapters), anyone who wishes not to read this chapter because of it's explicit material may contact me and I will tell them all that they need to know. No warnings are posted in the chapter to warn when the scenes that contain graphic material are going to happen. Thank you. **

* * *

"_Our battles are repetitious, if not broken poetry."_ –Maria Mena

She should have known.

When she had first met Miroku, he had told her something she should have remembered. His grandfather had been through the fights with Naraku, and according to the monk, Naraku had come to his grandfather in a number of different forms. He could be seen as the elderly, a man just back from the tides of war, or even a beautiful woman. So why couldn't he be Sesshomaru?

Like he always had, he had tricked her.

And now she was lost in his true darkness as they sped over lands that went by much to fast to recognize, his cold hand clamped around her arm even though there wasn't really anything there. She was just surrounded and carried by something that looked like dense black mist, like the literal darkness that had descended on her on that fateful day she'd received her son. It was cold, but somewhere very deep inside of her, it felt like a morbid comfort. It was an unexplainable feeling, something she didn't quiet understand herself. But she discarded it as the world whirled around her, leaving her in a dizzying state. She had felt like this last time, she remembered, when he ran away with her entangled in his scaled tentacles. Except she had been scared then, scared for her own life and afraid of him. Now she was just... calm, in a way. Not afraid of him, but rather feeling as if she were like InuYasha and Sesshomaru had just entered the vicinity. She wasn't afraid of Naraku... she just didn't like him – no, she hated him and she was well aware that he was so much stronger than her. But, this time, she'd fight. This time, she wouldn't break.

_Are you afraid, my pet?_ His voice echoed through the mist, smooth, calm, and mocking.

"No." she said to the nothingness, "I'm not inclined to be afraid of something that doesn't scare me."

His chuckle was low, almost haunting, _I do not scare you?_

"I can't change the past," she admitted, "And I can't really stop it from coming again, if it does. But that doesn't mean I can't be stronger than you, that I can't overcome the pain."

And suddenly she wasn't flying. There was something solid beneath her, the world stopped moving around her, and her legs gave out underneath her as the mist began to withdraw into a single area, slowly mending and molding together to create a form. And the form soon became more definite, for defined as each particle lay in it's proper place. It gained true colors that overcame the black, and then he was standing before her as she tried to gain control of her confused leg muscles.

"Kagome." A simple greeting, the same exact one he'd used before.

She's said nothing last time, "Naraku."

And for a long time they stared at each other, eyes cold and hard as brown clashed with red. She could see the monsters behind his eyes, she could feel the air cracking and snapping with his power. But it didn't frighten her, not like it had before. She felt empowered by the knowledge she was stronger, the feeling that she wasn't weak any longer. But when the eye contact became too much to bare she stood, taking in the surroundings. It was a mansion of some sort, she noted, barren of furniture with only a single dark painting hanging on the far wall. Only the window held curtains of fine white silk against the off white walls, letting in the light from the setting sun that reflected off her eyes.

"How angry were you when I got away?" she asked after a moment, creating small talk she really didn't care for as she eyed the large bed beneath the painting, nervous at the sight of it.

"There was no anger, only annoyance." He answered coolly, "I had assumed that you died many years ago. Tell me, how have you survived all these years without aging no more than a few days?"

"My ways are my own, Naraku." She turned her gaze back towards his towering form, "But I would think one as knowledgeable as yourself could figure it out on his own."

"You are an obstacle, child," he told her, "I think I understand you completely at one point and then you prove me wrong. You are a..." the next words fell off of his lips much to smoothly for her liking, "..._mystery_. An intriguing mystery."

"I'm glad to know you find me interesting," she said coldly, "But I really don't care for this whole kidnapping, using-my-first-love's-reincarnation-against-me thing, Naraku. Can't you ever dirty your own hands for once?"

"But I have, haven't I?" he asked, reaching out to grab a strand of her hair in his long fingers, "I killed your friends, I kidnapped you and raped you, and I've killed many of innocents. Wouldn't you say my hands are bloodstained by this point?"

"Possibly." She agreed coldly, "But you still send others to do your bidding, you take others and use them as shields, you twist innocent people into nothingness so they might fight in your stead... And yet only once I've ever heard of you stepping out into battle alone, without armies of demons or an incarnation at your side. And that one time you ran, fleeing both InuYasha and Sesshomaru. All you are is a coward, Naraku," she smacked his hand away from her, "And I don't fear cowards."

He laughed, his hand returning to take hold of her chin, putting her in an inescapable position, his lips so very close to hers.

"You feared me then..." his breath flowed over her lips, around her cheeks, "...I can make you fear me now."

"I won't break this time..." she responded in a voice just as soft as his, "...And I won't rely on anyone to save me. I will save myself."

She saw the corners of his lips turn up just so slightly, "This will be interesting."

His other hand wrapped around her back and held her waist close to his body, her powers flaring up in defense.

"I hate you." Her words were so quiet he could barely hear them.

"And that," he responded as his hand suddenly became dangerous, sharp talons digging into her skin so that blood flowed like rivers, "Is what makes me want you, what makes me _crave_ you."

It happened again that night. His cold body violating hers and her warm powers burning him to points where he actually parted from her, the battle raging until it was all over, when he left her lying there naked, covered only by the darkness of the night.

The first time, she did not break. There were not tears, no screams.

In the morning he returned, clothed in a black silk kimono with his hair cascading down his back in interesting patterns.

"Again?" she asked coldly from underneath her covers, her warm body bare beneath the blanket as he had robbed her of clothing the night before.

"No." he tossed a bundle of cloth on the floor at the edge of her bed, "Clothing."

And then he was gone, leaving her slightly stunned.

_Why...?_

But there were no answers to her question, and yet she decided to put the clothing on. The next time he came, whether it be to torture or rape, she would at least hold the smallest bit of dignity with the clothes that covered her form. So she slid out from under the covers that were stained in both their blood, reaching down with her sore and injured body to pick up the red and white bundle at her feet.

_Oh. _

This had been no gift, no gesture of strange kindness. It was a simply gesture of torture, bringing back memories that he thought might be painful to her. In her hands she held the robe of the fire rat, the robe that InuYasha wore or that she sometimes would have draped around her. A piece from her past... from the past she'd shared with a temperamental hanyo. Seeing it actually made her happy in a morbid type of way, made her humorless smile stretch across her expression. She drew the cloth to her face, taking in the scents that came from it. And she was surprised to actually find it there, to smell the woods and the dirt, the warmth and the being of her first love. No, this wasn't torture. That was a mistake on his part, a mistake that comforted her so deeply. So she picked the rest of the package up, a simple white shirt and pants, sliding them onto her form and tying the robe around her until it fit tightly, tying it to secure it in place. She see the parts of the robe that was stained with his blood, where his scent radiated from. It didn't matter to her, really, that she was wearing something covered in the remnants of his blood. As long as it was his, as long as she felt some form of morbid comfort, she was fine.

He came again as the sun set, eyes drawn away from her and to the painting.

"Have you admired it?" he asked plainly.

"What?" she asked, turning to look at what his direction was turned to, "The painting?"

"...Yes."

She hadn't given it any thought. But now that she looked at the large painting she found herself entranced by it, the layers of the dark colors illuminating the whites of the figures. There was a ghostly skeleton there, holding in it's arms a very beautiful woman draped in black, looking into her eyes with eye sockets of nothing. And yet, even without a true face or even skin, the evil in his structure was obvious, the hauntings that had caused him to become what he was all to real to Kagome. There was a darkness enveloping them, making the world disappear as if they were the only two that ever existed. But it was the woman who was distant, almost frightened. She looked out of place in the skeleton's arms, what little you could see of her face drawn with horror and hatred. She was the victim here... the prisoner of death itself.

"Morbid." A single word explanation of what she thought it was.

"...Perhaps."

More silence followed before Kagome spoke again.

"Why did you make me your mate? It seems kind of... pointless."

"It simply tied you to me. Allowed no other to claim you as theirs, restrained you from ever falling into true love."

"I can fall in love with anyone I like, with or without you being my mate."

"No other demon can touch you in the way I can, my pet," he stated, walking over to her and drawing her attention away from the painting and to him, "Your fate is mingled with that of another demon's, and without him being able to make you his own in the truest sense, there will always be something you will be missing in your life."

"Once you die, I have no more connection to you."

"Ah. But there you are wrong, my dear," he said, taking her chin into his hand in and all so familiar gesture, "If I die, you die. But if you die, I live."

She was shocked, but did her best to hide it all, unsure if he spoke truth, "But that has nothing to do with me being... _yours_, does it? Koga wouldn't be going after you if it were true."

"It has certain ties, but just the bond itself wouldn't do the job. It needed my own power to coax it along."

"What do you mean?"

In a flash of black she found herself on the bed, pinned beneath him, "I have woven my power into the very fabric of your being. I pushed you to the brink of death before, to a point where a simple touch would have sent you falling into the darkness of death. At that point I wove my very powers into your being, and they were what kept you alive when I beat you to a point that should have killed you." His smirk sent a single twinge of fear into her being, but it was gone as soon as it came, "You are living on borrowed time my dear. All that keeps you alive is me. And when I die, you can no longer support life. But if you die, the loss of the power in you is simply that – a loss. Not something I couldn't live without."

This time, the second time, she cried. But she didn't break, she didn't scream.

That night, once he was gone, leaving her with her clothes on the floor, she held the robe of the fire rat close to her heart.

_There is no true winning of this._

If she killed him, she killed herself. If someone else killed him, that person killed her. If he killed her, he lived on to fight. In the end, he would win either way. Whether it be by true victory or just dragging her down with him to hell with him.

_Sacrifice... _she remembered, _is a part of war. I'm willing to die for them, to die for my friends and the people I love. For my son... for Koga.. for everyone. _

So Naraku had left her with a single choice. She had to be the one, the only one, that could kill him. She would have to do it. She would have to kill the devil, paying the price of her own life in the process. It would be a self sacrifice for the ones she loved, and it almost seemed to her that this was the least she could do for them. There was no amount of explanation that could explain the extent of her love for her little makeshift family. Sacrificing herself was just one very small gesture to prove how much she truly did love them all.

In a lonely sadness, she looked at the painting above her.

_I am the woman, _she realized, _trapped in the arms of Death._

* * *

"_We will look for her in Japan. Your flights have been scheduled. All you need is on the table." _Sesshomaru's words were an echo in his head, the memory of both the taiyokai and the cured Kyoko walking out the door fogged over in his mind, _"We will contact you immediately if we find anything. You will do the same."_

And then they had left, leaving the five of them alone in the house that seemed so empty, staring at the piece of paper that hadn't been moved since it had appeared. A simple word was scrawled on the sheet, writing in the blood red ink.

_America._

Sesshomaru and Kyoko were both convinced that this was a clue, the country where Naraku now resided. But as a precaution in case of trap, they had decided to scout out Japan, and then move onto the other continent and countries. And now he was alone, sitting on the couch, face buried in his hand. Shippo and Hakkaku had left to pack, and Kumo was back in his room shoving clothes and other objects into the large bag he called a "suitcase." Koga was left alone, with nothing to pack, nothing to do. He was left with his thoughts.

"I told her she'd be safe. That she wouldn't fall into his hands." He muttered to no one, cursing himself repeatedly, knowing he'd just failed the only thing that was most important to him – her safety.

He felt... worthless.

"Niiice." Kumo sang, looking at the packet Sesshomaru had left behind on the table as he came out into the room, "Everything looks legit... Damn, a forged sword carrying permit, fake passports, a couple credit cards – that dog thinks of everything!"

Koga didn't care.

"C'mon, man," Kumo said, shaking him by the shoulder from behind, "We've got to get going. The more time we waste, the worse."

The wolf nodded, standing and digging his talisman out from the depths of his pocket. Without really paying attention, he pulled it down over his head and followed Kumo out the door, who was dragging along the large suitcase, Tetsusaiga sticking out the side of it. And then they were off, Koga following close behind the man that led the way, lost in thought.

_I will get her back, _he vowed, _and get rid of that bastard once and for all!_

The next hours were blurred in his memory. Kumo had led him to a large building where strange metal contraptions flew away and landed, and where the people had him step through a number of different contraptions that detected metal as they made sure he wasn't carrying anything considered illegal. He didn't really remember the conversation that Kumo had shared with an angry man over InuYasha's old sword, but eventually Kumo had led him onto one of the flying contraptions with everything in order, helping the wolf settle down and explaining what was going to happen. And soon after they were both settle they saw Hakkaku, Shippo, and an angry Kappei enter at the last moment, looking a little wind blown and tired. They were seated in the far back.

Koga had been too distraught to care that they were flying after take off. He just stared blankly out the window, lost in thought as Kumo slept in the seat beside him. He didn't sleep, he didn't eat, he didn't drink. He just cursed himself repeatedly, thinking of many ways to painfully tear Naraku to pieces when he saw him. And it seemed to him that they were landing only minutes later in a different place, full of the things Kagome had called skyscrapers. The voice on the thing Kumo had called a intercom said they were landing in Portland, a city in a land called Oregon. When Koga had asked, Kumo had explained as they exited the plane that America – also called the United States of America – had forty-eight different "segments" of land inside it (and two outside it), each with different names and varying laws. It didn't make sense to Koga, but he didn't bother asking further questions. He just didn't really care.

So when the five men met up outside the airport, Kumo quickly departing to go get a rental car, Koga was at his last end.

"Where is he?" the wolf yokai asked the only mortal in the group, who still wore an arrogant face with his arms crossed over his chest.

"How am I supposed to know? I've lived in Japan my entire life."

It seemed that all three of the yokai that held him captive were on their last end. They crowded around him in a very dangerous way, glaring him down. Kappei was arrogant and stupid, no doubt, but he knew when he was going to lose a fight.

"Here," he said in a small voice, "In Washington. I think he said it was place on the outskirts of Seattle, or something."

All three calmed down.

"But he said there were other places _all around_ America."

That was a very wrong move on his part. But he was saved as a sound of a honking car calling from the edge of the side walk, Kumo ushering them in through the window of the silver Volvo. Everyone quickly filed in, Koga taking the passenger's seat while Shippo and Hakkaku took either side of Kappei, who sat in the back middle seat, all three of them barely able to fit comfortably in it.

"We got him to tell us where one of Naraku's houses is," Hakkaku began.

Shippo continued after him, in a very Ginta-like manner of finishing sentences, "It's supposed to be just outside Portland."

"But apparently, he's got a crap load of houses across the country," Koga added angrily, tapping on the armrest on the door impatiently.

"Well," Kumo sighed, "It's a start."

* * *

The third time she became motionless, due to the restraints he'd put her in to make it so she couldn't burn him with her hands, a place where she could naturally channel her miko powers. And with the heat of unwanted passion and boiling fury, she could quiet channel anything else anywhere else.

His kisses had trailed down her jaw line, making her stomach tighten with disgust.

"Have you had enough yet?" he took a single talon and traced down her jaw, leaving behind a trail of red life, "Are you ready to submit?"

"No." she spat out, ignoring her pain, "I won't be weak – not like last time."

His claw settled at the very outer corner of her eye, tracing back to where her jaw line met her ear, a line of pain and blood left behind as a trail. The blood began to drop in her eyes, stinging painfully. His other hand roamed her body, invading her. In it's wake it left injuries much deeper than the other hand, causing her to jerk in pain. And the first sound of a scream began to build in her as he traced his evil on her stomach, drawing blood with deep, careless wounds. But before she could make a sound his cold, hard lips met with her chapped ones, unwelcome and unwanted. But before she could bite down on his tongue, before she could fight back, she felt his hand draw jagged line of blood on the insides of her thy, running over old scars. The pain began to become overwhelming to the pangs of pleasure she couldn't help from coming when his hands were gentle to her.

He parted from her, tentacles beginning to stretch out from behind him, sprouting out of his back in the most mutant of ways, "Do you hate me?" his words were spoken more like a man would speak to his lover or his wife.

"I always have." She pulled at her wrist's bonds from where the were tied to the bed frame, but to no avail.

"Good." She grimaced at his smirk that was visible in the darkness.

And then it happened again, her body ravaged with painful pleasure as he lowered himself into her. Blood was drawn from the inside, spilling out every time it got the chance, staining already dark sheets darker. Tears began to well up from both the pain and the blood that seeped into her eye sockets, but she didn't cry out, she didn't scream. But maybe, just maybe, something died inside.

Yet still, she wasn't broken. But when he left that night, she was unconscious.

The next morning she would awake with a roll of bandages on the floor beside her clothes, and was quick to bandage herself up. And alongside that roll of bandages was a mirror and brush, as well as a small tray that consisted of water and a plain bagel. So once she was done bandaging herself – a feat that left her entire torso bound, the tops of her legs, and her bleeding wrists covered – she ate and drank, brushing her hair out afterwards with careful movements, her body protesting to the slightest jerk of her muscles. And lastly, after a shaky exhale, she picked up the mirror.

There was a thin scab that started at the outer corner of her left eye and traced over to the beginning of her jaw line, traveling down the in a scabbed path to her chin, accompanied by a large bruise on the right side of her forehead. She sighed, lying the mirror face down on the floor again. There was no point in looking at herself since she would only see what she really didn't want to see. And after a moment of thought she carefully made herself over to the window, staring down to see where the ground was. She found, in disappointment, she was at least three stories up. There would be no jumping out of this window.

Craning her neck up towards the sky, she caught a glimpse of the sun at it's highest spot in the sky, clouds littered throughout the sky and on clustered in a wave on the horizon.

_Noon..._

She was quiet aware that time didn't mean much to her here, but she was curious none the less. So with nothing left to do she gazed out at the scenery, the ground covered in green with trees spotted out in clusters among what seemed like the country side.

_I have a feeling this isn't Japan..._

And as if on cue she noticed that very, very, very far out in the distance, there was a flag with the all too well known colors of red, white, and blue.

_Oh, god. Not friggen' America...! I really am out on my own._

But she was well aware that if there was a flag out there, there was also someone else living near. Maybe it was even the outskirts of a city! This information would be helpful if she ever managed to get out of here...

_Well, _she thought sarcastically with a sigh as she heard the door open behind her, _God bless the USA!_

"Your friends," he began, "arrived in Seattle this morning."

She whipped herself around, shocked to a point where she could ignore the pain that was caused with her actions, "...What?"

"They are being accompanied by my servant, who has most likely been forced into revealing our location." He smirked, "But fortunately, for me, there are many locations I may stay across the world that he does not have knowledge of."

"So, what," she spat out, "Are you going to run away?!"

He just chuckled, "Now is not the time to fight. _We_ leave at nightfall."

"Make me, you coward." Kagome hissed, "No real man flees from an opponent."

When he was silent, red eye drilling into her, she continued.

"I thought you were invincible, Naraku. The one who couldn't be beaten or caught." She continued on angrily, "Or is that only because you run away whenever danger comes too close?"

In less than a second she found herself rammed against the wall, her head spinning with the impact as her throat was clamped down on by his hand.

"You want them to die, my pet? You want to see me kill your friends, and maybe even our precious little son?"

"No," she chocked out, grasping his wrist and flaring her miko powers to life, "I want you dead."

And with a burst of pink he dropped her, staggering back a few steps as he gazed at his burned wrist, the skin quickly folding back over itself to heal the wound.

"Then it will be you who will bring their deaths, Kagome." He said in a new found calm, "It will be you that lead them to their demise, and that burden will be yours to bear. None of them, even banded together, can surpass me. Not even the great, almighty Sesshomaru came along to aid them, or your little wolf female friend."

"They don't have to be stronger than you," she knew InuYasha's overconfidence had rubbed off on her, "I have to be."

"It would be a worthless sacrifice if you could even achieve such a thing." He scoffed as he turned, leaving the room.

"You'd be surprised at how far a little self sacrifice goes, Naraku."

But he was gone, her words falling on deaf ears.

* * *

It had only taken them a few hours to trash the inside of the car. Hamburger wrappers, empty plastic cups, and chip bags littered the floors and dashboard, covering up what was once beautiful upholstery. Kumo, though eager to find his mother, had been forced to make a pit stop at a local fast food joint and get food when the were hungry, also giving them a short amount of time to relieve themselves, if necessary. A radio station was blaring rock music where the guitars sang and the drums beat away at a low volume on the stereo since all of their ears were rather sensitive, no conversation interrupting the voices of the many singers that flowed out the speakers for quite a long time.

"How far until we get there?" Kappei asked in a whining tone, receiving a smack over the head from Shippo.

"Just shut up, would you?" the kitsune snapped, "I swear, you're worse than InuYasha..."

"Who the hell is this 'InuYasha' you guys keep talking about?" the human asked, annoyed.

"You are his reincarnation. We all knew him," Kumo answered plainly, "Now shut up."

"No, I'm not going to shut up!" all four demons held back a groan, "I'm tired of being bossed around by you freaks. I thought Naraku was bossy, but hell no! You idiots are horrible! Treating me like I'm nobody along the way as well. I'm sorry I was told to drug your friend, but I follow orders!"

"He gives InuYasha a good name..." Hakkaku muttered, leaning his head back to rest on the head rest.

"Seriously. I don't remember InuYasha being this whiny..." Kumo added, "But then again, I was only five or so..."

"You guys, you gotta remember," Shippo piped up, "Reincarnations usually aren't alike. Look at Kikyo and Kagome!"

"Well all I know is if that damn mortal doesn't shut up, I'm going to rip his tongue out and throw him out a window." Koga said lowly, massaging his temples.

Kappei shrunk down into his seat. This was going to be a very, very long drive.

* * *

He hadn't visited her for days after she'd learned her friends had arrived in Seattle. It made her nervous, unsure of whether or not this occurrence was a blessing or a curse. True, it was a blessing that he didn't harm her, but it was a mystery what he was doing on the other side of her locked door. And one day, as she leaned on the windowsill and hung out the window, as she usually did, she finally heard the door open behind her. But she didn't dare turn to look.

"What do you want?" she asked coldly, searching over the sights she could barely see in the night's darkness.

But once the last words slipped from her lips she found herself in his cold embrace, pain shooting through her with the movements. And then she found herself pinned down on the bed once more after a flurry of movement, his weight toppling down on her.

"So," she commented darkly, "the fight begins again."

"No." there was no calm in his voice, no smoothness, "There will be no fight."

And then she saw it, the ravaging monster hidden behind the red eyes that pierced through the darkness.

"Fuck." The slid between her lips so softly he didn't hear it, her arms thrown up in front of her in defense.

But before even a single particle of miko energy could burst from her palms the tentacles sprouted from his back with a disgusting sound, shreds of the kimono he hadn't bothered to remove floating through the air. And then her arms were thrown back over her head, held in place by the cold and strong tentacles that would just regenerate if she purified them, her ankles restrained as well.

She struggled, "Get off!"

But her protests were nothing to his ears as he simply tore the clothes from her body, the robe of the fire rat only surviving because of it's strength, but abandoning Kagome's body none the less.

There were no kisses, no words that tormented her. Just simply pain as her unready body was violated to soothe his own desires, the pain as his fangs brushed over the skin he could reach, the pain as his talons dug into her skin, piercing the muscle not far beneath the skin.

And, the fourth time, she cried. Whimpers escaped her lips, her lip bled as she bit down on it. Screams against him were echoed through the room, but they all fell on deaf ears. And it didn't end after one time. He continued on, pain becoming guilty pangs of pleasure she couldn't control as her body accepted him against her wishes. Her blood flowed like rivers beneath his talons and fangs, her body became ravaged with the damage and pain he caused her, inside and out.

But, even when she lay unconscious when he left, finally done with his dark deed in the first hours of morning, she wasn't broken. Yes, she was raped and violated, so far away from happiness. But she was Kagome. She was a strong woman who'd been overpowered by a stronger man, and her will wouldn't break this time.

There was only one thing that mattered to her throughout this trail, this torture. It was simply that she wasn't broken, that she was strong. She was still Kagome Higurashi, after all the horrors. And that simple fact, accompanied by fonder memories from the past, kept her together.

_You, Naraku, are my rapist, _she told herself in the darkness of her mind, _And it will be I, the victim, who will be the end of you._

* * *

**A/N: I would _love_ feedback on this chapter on it's structure and the style of the writing. Any reviews referring to such (or anything else) would be appreciated. Thank you so much for reading, it means a lot, as do your reviews.**


	17. Down at the Station

"_You feel so lonely and ragged  
You lay here broken and naked  
My love is just waiting  
To clothe you in crimson roses  
No, you'll never be alone  
When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars  
Hear my whispers in the dark  
No, you'll never be alone  
When darkness comes you know I'm never far  
Hear my whispers in the dark"_

-Skillet; "Whispers in the Dark"

* * *

She winced as she touched her still sore cheek, the contact leaving her fingers stinging with a burning sensation. Her breathing was even as she tried to keep the fumes rising from her own skin away from the clean air she tried to inhale, one shaking hand lifting the mirror in front of her face. Her skin was coated in a layer of sweat as she went through convulsions, wounds and injuries spread across her body leaking fluids and blood. She lay on her bed, above the covers and wrapped only in InuYasha's _hitoe_, biting her bottom lip to hold back the screams that threatened to burst forth from her.

She stared in horror at her reflection, watching the purple smoke rise from her skin. It came from the black lines engraved on her cheek, the poisonous miasma slowly becoming a permanent mark on her skin. In any other case, this type of torture would have led to her death, but with her miko powers that fought ever so weakly against it and the dark power that kept her tethered to the world, it acted only as the most painful form of getting a tattoo. She'd have to carry this mark upon her left cheek for the rest of her life, the etched word of "evil" carved in kanji on her skin.

Another tremor of pain swept through her body, causing the mirror to fall from her hands and bounce off of the bed to clatter on the floor beneath her, the sound much to loud for her now sensitive ears. She bit down on her lip just a bit harder as a small whimper escaped through her lips, blood trickling out the corner of her mouth. Overcome with her pain, she didn't even notice when the door opened, when his weight lowered the bed ever so slightly. Only when he leaned over her, his black locks cascading down on her, did she ever realize his presence.

"Bastard..." the word was forced, shaking with her pain.

His hand came to brush across what he had given to her in the tides of his torture, a satisfied and twisted smile gracing his features as she flinched beneath his touch.

"The pain will subside soon enough, my pet," his voice wasn't welcome, the words sugarcoated to a point where they sounded sour, rather than sweet, "And they will come for you soon enough... and then they will die."

"No..." she almost screamed as her body convulsed once more, "You... will die."

He seemed not to have heard her, "Would you rather stay alive, my pet, after they are dead? Your existence can continue with your son at your side, who will undoubtedly join if I threaten your life."

"I'd... rather... die!" she spat out, unable to fight back as he moved himself to tower over her, pinning her already paralyzed body down.

"You would, would you?" he said smoothly, bending down until his lips were much too close to hers, "You would leave your son behind, you would let all your friends die... Maybe you aren't as pure as I once thought."

She spat up into his face, the saliva sticking successfully below his eye, "Go to hell."

He just chuckled, taking a hand and wiping away the bodily fluid, shaking it off of him with a quick flick of his wrist.

"If I do, you will accompany me."

--

"Alright," Kumo said quiet loudly as he unexpectedly drove off of the road, nearly flattening the sign that had said they were entering city limits, the smooth drive suddenly becoming bumpy as he drove over landscape, "Kappei, where are they?"

"The hell if I know – I've never been there!"

The car suddenly died as Kumo ripped the keys out of the ignition, unlocking the doors and stepping out of the car as the trunk popped open. The other four members of the group followed suit, scrambling to get out of the car and follow the youngest demon in the group.

"Koga," Kumo called as he pulled Tetsusaiga out of his partially opened suitcase, hooking it to his pants, "What are we doing now?"

The wolf demon scratched at his head, "Kumo, I had no idea this land even existed. I'm putting you in charge."

The man chuckled slightly, "I guess we'll just have to search around Seattle for a while... ask around about Naraku. Here," he pulled a credit card and cell phone out of his pocket, handing it to Shippo, "You and Hakkaku go out and start looking. Me, Koga, and Kappei will go out and look as well. Call if you get anything. And remember, don't do anything stupid to let the mortals figure out you aren't like them."

"Roger that." Shippo said with a grin, a small pop resounding as a cloud surrounded him, clearing to show a much more human-like kitsune, with real feet and all.

The two disappeared then, running off into the distance.

"Now, _you_." Kumo's usual kindness was gone as he looked at the only mortal in the group, "You better fess up any information now, or we will tear you _limb_ from _limb_."

"I told you!" Kappei seemed rather angry, "I don't know anything!"

"You better be telling the truth," Koga muttered, "Now let's get moving."

"Right." And then they were off, Kumo dragging Kappei along without a care by the man's arm, stopping their super speed once they were in view of other humans.

And they searched for hours that had no end, talking to random mothers with their children or homeless men on the street. Koga, who knew nothing of the American language, kept Kappei in line as Kumo continued interrogating in what was probably flawless English, but to no avail. No one knew of a young girl that had Kagome's description, or the man called Naraku. There wasn't even a rumor about this so called mansion.

"I swear, you idiot," Koga growled out as the sun set in the distance, his arm held tight around Kappei's arm, "If you're lying I'm not going to hesitate to kill you."

"Damn, I already told you! I only know what he said, and he said there was a house somewhere around Seattle. Leave me the hell alone!"

"And you expect me to believe that you've never been to this house and you've no idea where it is?"

"Yeah, I do! I'm a liability just knowing he's got a house here – you think he's going to actually take me there?"

Kumo sighed, "Bastard's right."

"Then what the hell do we do?" Koga snapped, "Why are we searching in town when—"

Koga's word caught in his throat as he caught sight of a woman across the street, whom wore tattered and ragged clothing, her black hair held up into a knot on top of her head. His heart stopped, his brain shut down. But, no matter what he could think, he could have sworn it was her, just missing her demonic aura. She even had a fan stuffed into the side of her rather short skirt, her eyes a piercing red. Her skin was the same, her expression was the same... _everything_ was the same.

But before Koga could make action on the woman, or even yell out the name he knew she used to be called by, a loud alarm sounded through the air, the sudden noise catching him off guard. Kappei took his chance, yanking his arm out of Koga's hold and taking a run for it as lights flashing in red, white, and blue came into view, cars speeding as their alarms went off. Koga was almost about to go after the mortal, but Kumo stopped him.

"Don't worry about him. We've got bigger problems now..."

The two speeding cars screeched to a halt, a few turning around completely as the brakes put them on a spin, four men dressed in identical uniforms barreling out the car doors, holding up objects that were foreign to Koga.

"They're guns," Kumo explained so lowly that only a fellow demon could hear him, "They might look harmless, but don't do anything stupid. Give these guys a chance and they can use them to blow a hole through the middle of your head. Oh, and by the way, you're my brother."

"_Hey, you! Stop talking!_" one of the men yelled in the language Koga had only been introduced to today. But, Kumo ignored him, speaking low again.

"They're called police. The uphold the law, and punish those who don't abide by it. Let me handle it, alright?"

"What the hell did we do wrong?!" Koga hissed.

Kumo made a simple nod towards the sword at his side.

"_Hey!_" the same officer yelled, "_I told you to shut up!_"

"_Officer, please,_"Kumo began, "_Please inform us of what we've done wrong. You're scaring my older brother – I only picked him up from his flight yesterday. He doesn't speak English. He's lived in Japan his whole life._"

"_You know what you did wrong! You're carrying a sword around in plain sight!_" a second officer yelled, his partner turning his direction away from the scene at hand and to the woman across the street. After a couple murmured whispers between him and the cop who had just spoken, he turned and ran at her.

"_Officer, I have a permit. If I could only pull it out of my pocket, I would show it to you._"

"_Don't you dare! Get on the ground, both of you! Put your hands behind your head!"_

Kumo looked reluctant, but turned his head to Koga, "I don't want any attention drawn to us to alert Naraku of our presence. We're going to have to listen, so get down on the ground and put your hands behind your head. I'll be able to get us out of the station by morning."

Grudgingly, Koga did so, disgusted with himself as the three mortals rushed at them, two placing strange, weak metal shackle-like objects on both his and Kumo's wrists, the third taking Tetsusaiga from the man's possession.

--

"_HERE! LOOK!_" Kumo had had enough for the long hours they'd been stuck in the dreary police station, the sun just beginning to crack through the windows at dawn as he waved the forged (but to the cops, it was legal and binding) sword permit in front of the officer's face, "_I'm allowed to carry this around! Now give me my sword back!_"

"_We received an anonymous alert that you were harassing a young man with the weapon in your possession. The caller said you looked angry enough to draw it._" The officer responded for the millionth time, and by this point Koga was pretty sure that English sentence would forever be engraved in his head.

"_I've already told you – I was doing no such thing. My brother can vouch for me._"

"_Your brother doesn't speak English._"

"_If you don't trust me, drag a translator down here!_"

Koga quickly began to lose interest in the same argument that had repeated itself at least a million times tonight, his eyes wandering around. There were inmates just stirring with the morning light in the singular, large caged area, and all the cops that had been around all night looked as if they were going to fall asleep in their steaming drinks. Koga was worried that he might die of boredom or chop off someone's head in his pent up anxiety and anger, but a distraction soon came in.

"I told you, you mother fucking bastards!" a woman screamed in a language he understood as two cops dragged her into the room, both struggling to keep her under control, "I'm no damn whore! Get your fucking hands off of me before I claw out your eyes."

Koga felt that same stopping of his heart and shutting down of his brain as he had not hours ago. But this time anger took over, boiling over the steaming point. He could now see the differences in her face from the woman he had known and hated now that she was close to him, but he couldn't hold back the anger just because of the memories she dug up from their graves.

_Kagura... _The name rung through his head with the tone of the utmost hate, his hands balling into fists and trembling ever so slightly at the mere thought of the long dead wind sorceress.

"_Damn prostitute... if she doesn't shut up soon, I swear I'm going to shoot her._" Hissed on of the guards trying to restrain her.

The woman snarled, "_I can speak English, and I'm so suing your sorry ass for harassment, you fucking jackass!"_

Koga almost turned away, wishing the look a like a good riddance, but the pieces of the puzzle clicked together in his mind. It was only a theory, but it was worth it. First, Naraku had used Kappei, InuYasha's reincarnation as one of his subordinates. What if he had drug up Kagura's reincarnation... and if this woman was anything like Kagura, it wasn't a surprise she wasn't at her alleged master's side. She wanted freedom, she was rebellious... With a single look at the fan that still stuck out of her short skirt, the object almost covered by the ends of her long sleeved shirt, he was sure of it. There was no doubt that the fan was the same exact one, if not a replica of the one that had slaughtered his family. It was no coincidence.

"Hey girl," he called out leisurely, ignoring the looks he got from Kumo and the officers in the room, "Can I ask you a question?"

The woman snarled his way, responding to him in the same language, "Go to hell, jackass."

"All I wanted to know is if you knew anyone named Kagura... or Naraku. If you do, I'll get you out of that little bind, _Nii-chan_. But only if you help us afterwards."

The woman's anger drained from her face, as did most of the color. But she was quick to pick herself up, taking one final pull from her officers to free herself, a phony and highly convincing smile on her face as she jumped at him, arms wide open in a hug. Koga, though disgusted, caught her when she hug-tackled him, and returned the gesture.

"_Brother!_" she cried, kissing him on the cheek.

He about barfed, "He's your brother too. Older."

She was quick to stand back up, charging the now very confused Kumo and tackle-hugging him as well, "_Brother! When did you guys get in to town? I didn't know you'd picked him up at the airport already! I was waiting for you on the street, but you never showed..._" she pouted convincingly, "_Why'd you leave your baby sister out there all alone?_"

Kumo was smart enough to catch on, "_We saw you across the street and tried to get your attention, but then we were taken in by the cops._"

"_Why? What'd you do wrong?_" It was amazing how good of an actor this woman was.

"_I had my sword with me. They're ignoring my permit._"

"_Oh... Really?_" she looked over at the cop, a bittersweet smile on her face, "_I think my brother here will demand his lawyer now. We'll be out by noon once you guys get your asses handed to you, if you don't get your jobs taken away first. I know the cops around here don't really have a good rap..._"

"_Fine!_" the cop was quick to answer, sensing danger in the woman's threat, "_Go get your stupid sword and get the hell out of here. All of you. But if I ever see you walking around again with that thing, I swear..._"

"_Thank you officer,_" both Kumo and the woman said in much too sweet tones, all three of them rising to stand as a different, angry looking officer handed Tetsusaiga over.

They were quick to exit the building, but Koga was the first to speak to Kumo.

"I missed that. What the hell just happened?"

"Well," Kumo led all three of them across the street with a smirk on his face, "Whoever this girl is, she's a damn good actor."

"Thanks for the compliment," she said with a false smile, turning with them as they began to walk down the sidewalk, "Now how the hell do you know Naraku... or Kagura?"

"Well," Koga began, "First tell me who you think Kagura is."

She looked a bit hesitant, but answered anyways, "I know it's going to sound weird, but I was told I was her reincarnation."

"That doesn't sound crazy or weird, 'cause I believe you." Koga answered, his voice suddenly turning dark, "Kagura killed most of my pack members. My family is dead because of who you used to be."

"...You're Koga?"

"Yeah." He turned his gaze to her, "Now, pay up. How do you know Naraku?"

She suddenly turned very sour in expression, "I work for the bastard."

"If you know who Koga is," Kumo began, "Why are you helping us if you work for him?"

"Just because I work for him, doesn't mean I listen." She spat out, "I only work for him because I have no choice. One thing after another led me to be in irreversible debt to him. I'll die if I leave him. And, I'd rather live to kill him than run and die by his hand."

"Do you know his whereabouts?" Kumo's voice was calm as possible.

"Yeah. But before I tell you anything, you have to make a promise to me."

"You're not in any position to be asking favors right now, woman," Koga snarled.

"I just want to be able to start over, in a life without debt to him, or you."

"Reasonable." Kumo said before Koga could open his mouth, "Now, where is he?"

* * *

"This is hopeless." Kyoko muttered in the passenger's seat of the car, Sesshomaru silent and without unnecessary movement in the driver's seat beside her, "There isn't anything here to try and trace him with."

"We are both well aware he resides in America."

"Yeah, but what help does that do us?" Kyoko snapped, "America is huge! Fifty different states, millions of tonws and cities and state capitals... those guys are going to get lost!"

"You seem to have no faith in those that reside within your own family."

Kyoko reached for her cell phone as it rang, echoing throughout the car, "Yeah, like you're any better, Mr. I'm-determined-to-kill-my-younger-brother." She paused, flipping open her phone, "Hello?"

"We've got his location!" Kumo's voice was quick and precise on the other end of the line, but before Kyoko could say a single word the phone suddenly wasn't in her hand.

"Talk." Sesshomaru directed, holding the pink phone up to his ear.

"We got Kappei to talk. He said somewhere in Seattle, so all we had to do was drive there from Portland. Once we got there, we all split up, Hakkaku and Shippo going out while the Koga and Kappei stayed with me. Someone reported to the police about an alleged threat on Kappei's life when I was seen with Tetsusaiga, and the cops took us down to the station. It was better to cooperate than draw any more attention to ourselves, I thought."

There was a sudden commotion on the other end of the line, and soon it was Koga who was talking, "We ran into Kagura's reincarnation. The girl, Izumi, is working for Naraku. She didn't hesitate to give us his location. All she wants is that he die."

The phone switched hands again, and Kumo's voice was heard once more, "We're standing not far from the mansion. There aren't any barriers or things like that around it, but Koga swears he can smell Kagome's blood, but my nose isn't as sharp." The was a slight pause as someone muttered something to Kumo, "Should we wait for you, or go in now? Izumi's insisting that we go in now."

Sesshomaru didn't take a second to think, "We're on our way," he pulled the car into an action movie turn in the middle of an intersection, nearly causing a massive accident as cars honked at him in his wake, "Go in now, as quick as you can. Get her out _now_."

Sesshomaru cut the line, stepping down on the gas pedal until he was well over the hundreds, weaving expertly around and in between cars to make his way to the beach.

"They find her?" Kyoko was breathless in the seat beside him.

"Yes."

"Where are we going? What are we doing?"

"We are going to the beach. I can fly much faster than any airplane, even with you in tow." He tossed the phone at her, "Now call your clan. Alert them of the news. Leave a message at my work phone as well explaining the situation. My assistant will hear it and pass along the message."

* * *

Koga wasted no time. The moment he could see Hakkaku and Shippo arriving on the horizon, he was gone, charging at the house. Kumo was close behind him, Izumi hanging onto his back with her fan in hand, Tetsusaiga drawn and ready in his hand, transformed to it's greatest power.

"Izumi!" Koga called over the whipping winds, "Is that fan a weapon, like it used to be?"

"Yeah!"

With another kick at the ground he sped off, leaving those behind him in the dust with power of the last remaining shards of the shikon jewel. The doors were wide open for him when he got there, in some type of sick and twisted greeting, but he didn't care. Just as he sped through them he was flooded with her scent, with the smells of blood and pain. It made him even quicker, but the scream that filled his ears stopped him dead in his tracks. Only for a second was he frozen, the sound chilling him to the very core, and the next second he was quicker than he had ever been, banging open the doors of the room he knew she was in. He could feel Kumo appear at his side, without Izumi or anyone else following.

"Kagome!"

* * *

**A/N: You guys, I can't hold back any longer. I have _just_ finished _all_ the chapters on this story, and all that waits now is that I post them. And I don't want to make you - my lovely readers and reviewers - wait. So, every two days, I will post a new chapter. Keep watch and review! **


	18. Victory comes not without Sacrifice

"_To buy the truth you sell a lie  
The last mistakes before you die  
So don't forget to breathe tonight  
Tonight's the last, so say goodbye  
The secret is out"_

-30 Seconds to Mars; "A Modern Myth"

"Kappei!" Shippo was stunned to see the man standing there, blocking their way to follow Koga and Kumo, with lesser yokai henchmen crowded around him.

"You aren't going anywhere." The human said, in an overconfidence that lived up to his former life, "Actually, this will be the last place you'll ever be in."

Izumi stepped out from behind Hakkaku then, glaring at her "co-worker."

"Get out of here, Kappei. You're just going to get yourself killed."

He just laughed in response, "And you're not? You just gave him away – he is going to kill you."

"I really don't care. Now..." she pulled out her fan, "If you don't want to die, I'd suggest you move."

He laughed again, "What are you gonna do? Through a paper fan at me? I'm _sooo_ scared."

She smirked, waving the fan across the emptiness with ease. And then he was cut with invisible knives, it seemed, and knocked to the ground. The power she used was in no form as strong as Kagura's, but it was good enough to do the job. And with yet another wave the henchmen were slaughtered, but yet, Kappei decided to get back up on his feet.

"I'll kill you." His voice was ragged as the sounds of his dripping blood filled the area.

"With what?" Shippo began, "You're up against two demons and a mortal who far surpasses you. You can't win this."

"I can't back down."

"So you'd rather die, than live and let us through to save a rape victim?"

"I don't care about her."

Shippo sighed, "Y'know, you were in love with her once."

He hesitated, but answered none the less, "I'm not that person anymore. She can go fucking crawl in a hole and die, for all I care – good riddance to her."

Shippo seemed a bit reluctant, but he walked up to Kappei none the less, claws dangerously positioned, "Then you don't deserve to have his soul inside of you."

And with a simple motion, Kappei's head was detached from his body, blood spilling everywhere. But killing the man meant nothing, for as they came to the stairs, a barrier blocked their way. There would be no helping their friend – Koga, Kumo, and Kagome were left to fight on their own.

So they were left with only the ability to hope, to pray that everything would be alright.

* * *

He was standing in front of her, grasping at his face as miasma smoked out of it, the smallest droplets of blood dripping out from in between his fingers. She was panting, hands still raised out in front of her and still buzzing with fading energy, a single stream of blood flowing out from a cut in her lip.

"You're an idiot..." she mumbled, voice weak with the amount of energy she'd just exerted, "...You know better than to let me have a go at you with my hands, don't you? You always end up purified when you do, bastard."

She watched him for a moment as he recuperated, trying to sort through her memory. She knew she had screamed, she had remembered sending all the energy she could into her palms, and then he'd erupted in pink as she'd purified him... But she could have sworn she had heard someone call out her name, that there had been a loud noise that hadn't been related to her assault on him.

Without warning she suddenly found herself wrapped in warm arms, a familiar sensation rushing through her body as her miko senses were held back from a friendly demonic touch.

"Mother..." his red eyes were kind as he looked down at her, cradling her close to his chest, "Are you alright?"

She froze. For a moment her mind was blank as she stared up at her son's handsome features, his red eyes captivating for reasons she didn't understand. She wouldn't have responded out of her pure shock, but when her son's eyes were suddenly filled with so much worry and the back of his hand brushed ever so softly against the mark on her face, she was jolted back into reality.

"I'm... Alright..." she chocked out with a weak voice, "Where's Koga?"

"Right here, Kagome." The man in question answered from in front of her, throwing a grin at her over his shoulder.

She was quick to turn around in the embrace she was in to see him, her movements a bit too eager as her body protested painfully. But she caught sight of him just in time to see him rip the talisman off of his neck, his tail ripping through the fabric of his jeans and his demonic traits returning to visibility.

"Koga..." her voice was barely a whisper, but her attention was directed towards her son when he spoke.

"Mother, we should leave."

"I don't think I will allow that, son." Naraku's voice was cold and smooth as he straightened himself up, any evidence of his injury gone as the doors to the room shut loudly on their own.

"We'll just have to kill you then," Koga snapped, reading himself for an attack.

Naraku chuckled, "You're going to kill me?" And then he looked over at the wolf demon to meet the gaze of the miko, who nearly flinched away at the contact.

"Hey!" Koga yelled, seeing the action, "Don't you even _dare_ look at her!"

Naraku turned his attention back to Koga, "You're no better than the hanyo. You are unable to protect the ones you love. Kagura killed your wolves, I raped your woman."

"Shut up!" Koga growled, snarling at the man.

"Are you going to fight me, Koga?"

"I'm going to send you to hell!" And then Koga lunged, a disgusting sound of skin tearing echoing through the air.

At first Kagome had thought one of them had landed a hit, but it wasn't such. With a look she saw the Goraishi sticking out of his hand, having been brought into action from where it lay dormant beneath his skin. He took a swipe at Naraku, and it was all too obvious to Kagome that Naraku was going to let the attack hit. For a split second she wondered why, but the second the sharp blades met with his shoulder, hers erupted in pain, causing her to slacken in her son's hold.

"Mother!" he held her up as she hung limp in his hold, her hand grasping at her shoulder, "What's wrong?"

She cursed herself, "Old wounds," she lied, "...reopening."

"How does it feel, Koga," Naraku began, dodging each of his attacks with grace, "to see the woman you love in irreversible pain?"

Koga didn't deem the question worthy of response. And as a large tentacle sped his way, he managed to slice it in half, unknowing of the sudden wave of pain that caused Kagome.

"What if killing me would leave her in more pain?"

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Koga made a swipe at the man's face, but Naraku dodged, "She'll be better off when you're gone!"

Suddenly, Koga found himself rammed against a wall, his stomach erupting with pain from the blow he'd just received.

"You won't win this, Koga," Naraku warned, standing over the wolf, "Your shards will be mine and you will die here, just like the rest of your pack has done."

"Fat chance!" The wolf pushed himself up off the ground, trying to deliver a kick to the dark hanyo's face, only to hit nothing.

"You should be more careful in your movements," Koga felt the tentacles wrap around his legs while he was still airborne, throwing him face first into the ground, "or they will be your last."

And it only took a single second for Naraku to rip the tiny shards from his legs, the wolf's cry of pain echoing through the vicinity. Kagome flinched, closing her eyes tight and trying to block out the image. But she couldn't, not with the knowledge that this was going to turn out horribly. They couldn't win, not just the three of them. Koga had just lost his shards and because of that his legs would be out of commission for quite awhile; days if they survived. All Kumo had was a sword he'd never wielded before and had no knowledge of, as well as the powers he may or may not have inherited from his father. And she... all she had was the miko powers that did nothing against him.

"Stay safe."

She didn't ever realize her son's words until he was gone, leaving her with a cold chill where his warm arms had once been. She watched in horror as Kumo swung the sword down on Naraku, making the Naraku jump away from Koga, the shards falling to the ground with a sound that she could barely hear. Out of reflex, she jumped for them, her body protesting against her with waves of pain as she managed to pull the shards into her grasp.

_Koga..._

She turned herself around, making her way towards the man who lay in convulsions on the ground, his legs bleeding out at a life threatening pace.

"Kagome..." his voice was shallow and broken as she took hold of his hand, flaring all the miko powers she could into her free hand.

"This will hurt." She warned as she placed her hand down on one of the deep gashes in his legs, his body responding with an automatic jolt and a strangled sound of pain deep in his throat. It only took a single second for her to be done with her job, her hand breaking contact with him to reveal a large and ugly scar where she had burned his skin closed.

"Once more," she muttered, repeating the process.

And then he wasn't bleeding anymore, but he was rendered near useless with the sudden shock of purifying power. She was quick to place the shards into his hand, squeezing his fist closed.

"Keep them safe," she told him quietly, before she felt her back erupt in a sudden pain, causing her to fall over on all fours, shaking in pain as she managed to catch a glimpse of the battle raging just feet away.

Kumo, unlike his father, had opted not to release his tentacles at this point, and was actually managing to do some damage to the dark hanyo with his borrowed blade. But he only got a single chance, for Naraku learned from every attack his opponent made. Soon it was he being thrown around the room and Naraku dodging all his blows, but he always managed to stand back up on his feet.

"Why do you do this, son?"

"Don't call me your son, you bastard," Kumo spat.

"Why do you do this?" he repeated, dodging another blow, nearly receiving an attack following directly after.

"To right the wrongs you did to my Mother," he answered angrily, managing to slice open one of Naraku's arms, only to receive the same wound in his opponent's retaliation to the attack.

"When will you learn, Kumo, that you can't stand up to me? The only good it will do you is to get you killed."

"Then kill me," Kumo challenged, jumping forward and swinging Tetsusaiga at an angle so that a good chunk of Naraku's hair was sliced when the man dodged, "I'd rather be dead than be called your son!"

"And you'd leave your Mother behind?"

"And that is -," he swung Tetsusaiga down dangerously close to Naraku's head, tentacles of his own sprouting out of his back to stop his father's mutant limbs from attacking him, "- why I'm fighting you!"

"At least you're determined," it was an off handed comment that didn't mean much, but it seemed to fuel Kumo's anger.

But no matter how many times he swung the sword, he only landed those few hits, and the fight almost seemed pointless. He was a near match to Naraku, simply because he was the strongest of all the man's detachments, but still, the dark hanyo had just that little bit more of an advantage that put him in a position that couldn't guarantee victory. It seemed, that eventually, he would fall. He would fall and fail his mother.

_Tetsusaiga isn't just a sword._

He nearly jumped at the sudden voice in his head that wasn't his, barely managing to dodge an attack thrown at him.

_It's much more than a sword, actually. You've got a load of unharnessed power at your disposal, y'know._

Kumo was confused. This voice wasn't of his own creation, he had no idea where it was coming from. And if, on some sort of cue to answer his question, Tetsusaiga pulsed in his hands as he jumped away from another attack.

_You want some power against Naraku? _

Of course he did.

_Listen to me. If you look hard, if you truly want to unharness the powers of Tetsusaiga, you can see the scar in the wind. It's the spot where the powers collide, where his power clashes with your power and the other's. In the center of that vortex there is a spot where the powers meld and mutate to become one, and that is where you will find the scar. Cut that scar and you will gain the power that is infused there, and the rift in the winds will explode and all the power will be unleashed upon him. He has a barrier to protect against it, but he won't expect it from you. This is a one time shot._

_Now, look. Concentrate. Or, so help me, I'll kick your ass after he kills you._

Suddenly, memories from his childhood were resurfacing. He remembered the voice, he remembered the face of the red clothed, white haired hanyo. But... InuYasha was Kappei now. How could he be speaking to him?

_Ask Shippo. Now, dammit, fucking concentrate!_

He jumped up into the air, his tentacles retreating back inside him as he dodged an attack. And he looked for it, he tried to sense were the powers were. He was desperate, but he saw nothing. Not until he saw his mother below him, looking up at him with strange eyes as she huddled in unexplained pain on the ground. And then it was there, the black and gray powers colliding and blocking out everything else in sight, revealing only to him what the few gifted could see. He was nearly blinded with the light white that suddenly erupted from the spots where the powers collided, but yet he still managed to swing the sword down.

"Wind Scar!" the words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them, his feet hitting the floor as white light flooded the room.

He heard Naraku's yells of pain and surprise, morbidly happy at the sound. But then, out of nowhere, he heard his mother's agonizing scream of pain, and his attention was directed away. But before he could say a single word, before he could rush over to her as the light faded, pain erupted through him as well, blood spilling onto the floor in front of him. His yell died behind his gritted teeth, and just at the last second, he managed to take a look over his shoulder.

Half of Naraku's body was gone. He had hit him, but the bastard had dodged at the last second. And now the skin was molding and folding over it's self, regenerating the wound.

"Damn it all..." he muttered to himself as he fell, the tentacle that had slid right through his stomach pulling out as he fell to the ground. But, like his father, the skin began to regenerate, as did anything else that had been harmed, but at a much slower rate.

Kagome knew it was then that she had no choice. Without thought, without real rational thinking, she brushed her lips against Koga's forehead and stood, running over to her son and ignoring the pain that flooded through her body. Tetsusaiga still lay transformed in his hand, and with the swiftest movement she took it from him.

_No turning back..._

She had mere seconds before the sword would revert to it's useless form underneath her human blood, and Naraku was at a point where he couldn't truly fight back, giving her a one time opening. And so she ignored her pain as the adrenaline rushed through her system, slowing the world around her as she leapt at him, holding the surprisingly light Tetsusaiga over her head.

It hit the mark, slicing right through his skull as if it were paper, the blood spilling with a sickening sound. And because of the hanyo blood that ran over the blade of the Tetsusaiga, it stayed transformed and unmovable as they both toppled to the ground, pain erupting throughout Kagome's body.

Her life didn't flash across her eyes, she didn't have any symbolic last words to say. She just lay there, a top her rapist as he died, looking over at her son and at friends who just now burst through the door with a noise that was much too faint. Her last gaze lingered over the man who lay not so far from her, unable to move, staring at her with an emotion she didn't really understand at the moment.

All she could wish for was that he would understand why she had just done this, that he would realize how much he had really done for her and how much she had come to love him.

_...Koga._

Her mouth was sealed shut with blood, her eyesight fading in and out of focus as her lungs gave out inside of her. Suddenly, she was cold. Her blood froze inside of her, her heart becoming deathly still. But as she lived her last few seconds, a strange realization was put into light in the hollows of her fading thoughts.

_After all this... _she took the most painful intake of breath, straining everything that still worked in her body, _...I don't regret anything._

And with her last breath, as Naraku's curses beneath her fell on deaf ears, she simply closed her eyes and lay her head on his chest, drifting off into oblivion. So Death closed around her, lifting her into his cold and icy embrace with skeletal arms that seemed much too strong, his iron grip relentless and painful as her life became his. Then she was gone, only mere memories left to prove that she had ever been in the world of the living.

Kumo was the only one who would ever remember Koga screaming.

* * *

**A/N: Eh, I updated a couple hours early. So what?  
**


	19. In Between

"_Only the strongest will survive, lead me in heaven when we die._"  
-Breaking Benjamin; "Blow me Away"

"Kagome..."

She pulled away from the hands that were shaking at her, muttering something incoherent and she rolled over, surprising warmth spreading through her.

"Kagome...!"

"Shut up!" the mumble was muffled beneath her barely working lips as she scooted away from the hands that once again shook her.

"C'mon, Kagome! You gotta wake up!"

Sudden anger flashed through her as she sat up much too quickly, throwing a slap at whoever was trying to wake her up. When she felt contact she fell back down into her laying position, "Go the hell away," she muttered, "I'm trying to sleep."

She expected that someone, whoever it was, to start whining or yelling at her, but the warm laugh that followed confused her. And then, suddenly, the sound registered to a name in her mind. She jolted up to a sitting position, twisting her body to see whom she had assaulted.

He smiled at her, his hand rubbing at a red mark on his cheek, "Nice to see you too, Kagome."

Without hesitation she launched herself at him, tackling him down to the ground with her arms wrapped tight around his neck. They landed with a small sound as the flowers and grass gave out beneath them, the man still laughing softly.

She kissed his cheek with a bright smile on her face, "InuYasha!"

"Okay, okay, get offa' me." The red clad hanyo pushed her off of him gently, sitting back up and brushing himself off, "I missed you too."

"InuYasha, what are you doing her—" her question was cut short as she gazed upon his sympathetic smile, her memories rushing over her and killing her excitement.

_Oh yeah, _a small, sad smile graced her gaze drifted down to the flowered and grassy ground beneath her, _I'm dead._

After a small moment of silence, InuYasha spoke again, "Do you remember this place, Kagome?"

She looked up, gazing around at her surroundings.

"Yeah..." the sight took her breath away, just as it had last time, "We were here... when the Woman without a Face pretended to be your Mother."

"It's the passage between the worlds," he explained, "I figured I'd wait for you here."

"But..." she was suddenly confused, her attention drawing away from the bridge that crossed over the river beside them, "...Kappei..."

He laughed, "Yeah, Shippo took care of him. That asshole deserved it, too."

"You _were_ that asshole, InuYasha."

"Yeah," he chuckled, "but my feelings toward him aren't any better than how you feel about Kikyo."

She smiled softly, "I can understand that."

There was a pause before InuYasha spoke again, picking absentmindedly at the flowers on the ground, "You know, I really wished you would have lived longer. And... to die the way you did... it doesn't seem right. You're only sixteen, aren't you?"

"No," she answered, "I think I turned seventeen a while ago, but I'm not sure," she smirked, "Traveling with you all the time got me off track."

"Don't blame me," he laughed, "you're the idiot who shattered the jewel!"

She smiled a bit sadly, plucking at the ground as well, "I know..."

"Hey!" he snapped at her, causing her to jolt, "Don't go around moping. It happened, deal with it." He paused for a long moment before he spoke again, this time in much softer tones, "...I'm actually glad you broke the jewel."

"You are?" she would have never guessed he would have that opinion.

"Yeah... it got me off the tree... I got to travel with you and the others... I... I got to fall in love..." he looked over at her, his golden eyes a bit sad, "You do realize that you and the others were the first friends I had ever had, right?"

The information shocked her, but she was quick to return to a calm state, "Well, I'm glad I got to travel along with you, too, despite everything."

He punched her lightly in the arm, "I still can't believe you actually put up with me."

"Well," she leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder, "I loved you then."

He sighed, "And so did I. But I was too stupid to realize how much I was hurting you, with Kikyo and all. And... I couldn't protect you. Not even when you needed me the most."

She smacked his arm lightly, "Now don't _you_ go moping around. I don't blame you for that, or for anything else, in fact."

"You always were too forgiving."

She giggled, "Otherwise I would have thrown you off a cliff, like Sango suggested."

He laughed, "I would have deserved it."

And they sat there for a long time, leaning against one another, silent in the prairie of the passageway between worlds. It seemed to soon when he stood, though, holding out a hand for her to take.

"C'mon," his voice was soft and quiet, almost inaudible, "We should go."

She took his hand, her own trembling as he pulled her up.

"Don't be afraid," he told her, keeping hold of her hand as he led her to the base of the bridge, "I'll walk over the bridge with you."

She took a shaky intake of breath, looking at the wooden pathway of the bridge with nervous eyes.

"...I don't want to leave them." She whispered.

He squeezed her hand, "But you can't go back."

She felt a tear trail down her cheek, but his finger wiped it away.

"You'll see them one day," he assured her, "Just like my Mother got to see me. Like I got to see you..."

"I love him." She murmured after a moment, the words escaping her without much thought.

"I know you do," he told her, taking a step onto bridge, "And one day, you'll see him as well."

"You'll stay with me?" She was so afraid.

"Of course." It was a promise he intended to keep.

The wooden structure creaked quietly as she put a foot on it, her knuckles turning white around InuYasha's hand. And, with slow step after slow step, she found herself standing in the middle of the bridge, the water below trickling by ever so softly. Before her the fog appeared, shielding from view the secrets of the world that was to await her.

"One last step," he told her, "And you'll be home."

With as much courage as she could muster, she began to step. And just before her foot hit the ground, she felt his hand leave hers, a sudden force pushing her back. She stumbled back a few feet, looking in fear and confusion at InuYasha, who was staring over her at something in the distance.

"Kagome!"

She spun around at the voice, an involuntary action, to meet gaze with blue eyes that stared at her with so much love, freezing her.

Her name was called again as he ran up the bridge, crushing her in an embrace the moment she was within his reach. She was still frozen, proven paralyzed with her shock as his warm arms surrounded her. But it didn't take her long to embrace him as well, her arms grasping to him as if she had a life that depended on it. She felt his body jerk slightly, in a sobbing motion, as he held her.

"Koga..." she chocked on the word as she felt his embrace rush through her, stimulating her senses, "What are you...?"

Fear washed over her like cold water.

_He didn't die, _she tried to assure herself, the denial feeling heavier than death itself, _He didn't die... He couldn't have died!_

"No, Kagome," he said with a small smile, his words quick and without pause, "I'm not dead. Kumo has human blood in him. I don't – I couldn't make a pure wish on the jewel. He did it since I couldn't," he pulled her away from his chest only so he could stare down into her eyes, "I'm here to bring you back."

She saw the red around his eyes, the streaks were his tears had fallen. It made her own chest tighten, her eyes watering. And, in a nearly involuntary action, she smashed her lips against his, giving him all she had.

"Well," InuYasha's voice interrupted the reunion after a long moment, breaking the two apart when he'd had enough of the scene, "I guess you managed to do _one _thing right, you wimpy wolf."

Koga seemed too shocked upon realizing the hanyo's presence to insult him in response, "You were here... to take her away, weren't you?"

"Of course. Why else would I be here..." he grinned, "But, while _you'r_e here... You're ass is mine!"

Koga just smirked, releasing Kagome and taking a stance in front of her, slightly off to the side as the hanyo charge at him. She watched warily, worried for the both of them. But, still, it amazed her that they could still find a reason to fight, even in the peaceful passageway between worlds.

"This—" InuYasha's hand balled into a fist, winding back as far as it could as he quickly closed the space in between him and the wolf, a wicked grin on his face, "—is for stealing my Kagome!"

Koga didn't resist, to Kagome surprise, and went sprawling with the punch to his face, skidding to a stop at the area beside Kagome's feet. He just smirked up at her when her look questioned him.

"He deserved a free shot." He explained with a laugh, quick to jump back up to his feet and snake his arm around Kagome's waist, his other hand massaging at his recently punched jaw.

"Well," InuYasha began, smirking as his hand fell back to his side and the anger dissipated from his face, "I guess I'll see you another time, Kagome. And wolf, If you don't keep her safe, I swear I'll..."

"Yeah, yeah," Koga responded, "I know."

But before InuYasha could turn around and make his way over to the afterlife she had almost accompanied him to, Kagome broke free from Koga's hold, running to wrap the hanyo in her embrace, preventing him from beginning his departure.

"I'll miss you," she said into his chest, feeling a single arm wrap around to return her hug, "And, thank you, InuYasha, for everything you did. I really do love you," she gave him a warm smile as she looked up at him, "just not in that way, anymore."

He smiled down at her, giving her a quick squeeze in his hold before pushing her away, "I should be thanking you," he said with a smile as he turned around, "And... yeah... I'll miss you too."

"Goodbye." She whispered quietly as he began to walk away, receiving a wave in response.

And then he faded into nothingness, leaving Koga and her alone in a much too quiet scene. She felt him come up behind her, welcoming him as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing her neck ever so gently.

"Let's get out of here, Kagome," he whispered in her ear, "They're waiting for us... For you."

She nodded, watching the world around them fade to black, the warmth that had radiated through her body suddenly fading away. And then, as if someone had slapped her, she gasped for air, pain erupting through her body.

"She's breathing!"


	20. Recovery

**A/N: I don't stick to my word, let alone my schedule. Here's another update... a day early!**

* * *

She'd previously been feeling one extreme, and that was of being at peace. And now she was experiencing a second extreme as she returned to her Earthy body, and that was of excruciating pain. When she wrenched her eyes open, she half expected to see Koga standing above her, but instead, she was met with Sesshomaru's flawless form, his silver scar reflecting against the artificial lighting.

"...Sesshomaru..." she managed to croak out the single word, but he silenced her automatically with a stern look.

"Waste not your remaining energy, miko," he advised her, cold and strong hands wrapping bandages tight around her torso, "Or you will undoubtedly fall back into the depths of Death. Choose wisely when you exert what little energy you have."

She nodded, resting her head back on whatever she was lying on, closing her eyes. The pain was consuming her, but she kept herself grounded, determined not to fall into the dark abyss once more.

"All injuries your body previously experienced, even when it was just a lifeless corpse, you will feel in every detail. Coming back to life, or even being saved from death, is not a pleasant experience on any level," Sesshomaru explained quietly, answering any questions she was bound to ask without fail, "Your son is tending to Koga. You nearly killed him with your purifying powers, but if you had not done what you did, he would have accompanied you to the afterlife. Shippo, the wolf, and Kagura's reincarnation are without injury. I have sent them away for the moment. Kyoko—"

"I'm here!" a bright voice sounded out, interrupting the taiyokai and causing Kagome to open her eyes.

And there she was, the brown haired beauty leaning over Sesshomaru's shoulder to peek down at her, smiling radiantly.

"You really went all out, didn't you?" she asked with a giggle as Sesshomaru cut a bandage between his teeth, securing it among the other strands of bandages wrapped around Kagome's torso, "Self sacrifice takes guts, Kagome. But really, it was rather stupid."

Kagome laughed, but it was a weak sound that caused her pain.

"It wouldn't have... mattered..." she chocked out.

"No words, miko," Sesshomaru instructed, "And you, Kyoko, back away. Your presence annoys this Sesshomaru."

"Well," Kyoko scooted out of vision, but sat down at Kagome's feet on the cushions of the black couch that the miko just now realized she was lying on, "_This Sesshomaru _is just going to have to deal with it."

"Hn."

"Kagome," Kyoko turned her attention to her, picking up a roll of bandages as well and working on bandaging the miko's upper leg injuries, using caution not to make direct contact with the girl's skin, "You can explain everything to me later, if you don't want to spill your guts out to Koga at first."

Kagome nodded weakly in response, closing her eyes again and trying to relax on what was actually a comfortable couch. She stayed as still as possible as Kyoko's warm hands worked on patching up her bottom half while Sesshomaru worked diligently and quickly with smooth, cold hands on her upper body. Though she wouldn't ever admit it, his cold skin felt good as her body began to be engulfed in off and on fevers. And with the fevers came the loss of day and night. Some hours sped by in mere minutes to her, some seconds seemed much too long for her. The bandages encasing her were changed an innumerable amount of times, but she only saw Kyoko and Sesshomaru the entire time. No one else, not even Shippo, came in while she lay injured and delirious.

One time, as Sesshomaru began his work on changing her bandages, she found she had enough energy to speak to him, if not only for a short while.

"Why do you do this?" her voice was weak as she tried to keep herself still, some of his movements causing her the smallest pangs of pain, "You've... nearly killed me so many times in the past... Why... Why the change of heart?"

"You are an ally."

She wasn't satisfied with the answer, "Did... Did InuYasha say something... to you... when he died?"

Sesshomaru's hands paused in their work for the briefest of seconds, but he was quick to continue on, "No. Nothing that would make me watch over you..." his words trailed off for a moment, "He did request that I pass along a message to you, but you were not to be found after the battle."

"What was it?"

"...That he loved you."

"Oh."

For a long time after that they were silent, but Kagome soon found something else to talk about.

"How is... Koga doing?"

"The wolf made a full recovery three days ago. It would be better that he not see you in your condition, and he has been prevented from doing so as a precaution. He has been told he will be permitted to see you when your condition is safer and more stable."

"It's been three days?" she asked.

"The sick do not keep track of time," he said simply, "Now, rest. The scent of Death still hovers over you."

A few times after that, she realized that whenever she got unusually cold, Sesshomaru would stand by her. Now that the fevers were shrinking into few, she could see that when these flashes of cold settled over her he would stand by with sword in hand, Tenseiga's metal blade always ready. She waited for the time that he would swing it just above her, but it never happened. She always managed to shake off the unrelenting cold, and then he would leave her vision. Death, it seemed, became her partner in sickness.

When she was handicapped only by her slowly healing injuries, she began to sit up on the couch, leaning up against Kyoko as they spoke quietly. Kyoko learned silently of her story just by a simple touch, and Kagome wasn't caused to relive what had happened as she allowed the "mind reader" yokai to sort through her memories with the lightest of contact.

"Do you think this thing," Kagome pointed at the kanji that was etched across her right cheek, "will ever go away?"

Kyoko looked down at the girl whose head rest on her shoulder, smiling a bit sadly, "I think, one day, the liquefied miasma with disappear because how your powers will slowly purify it, but you'll be left with a scar. That was what he... intended, I think."

She seemed a bit disappointed, but the expression faded away quickly.

"Y'know, Kagome," Kyoko began, nudging the miko gently, "I'm proud of you."

"Why?" Kagome's voice was barely more than a whisper.

"You overcame a lot of things. Even Death, itself. You should be proud of yourself too. Damn, I know Koga is. The idiot won't shut up about you, whether it be him threatening Sesshomaru that if you aren't in good condition, he'll kill him, or that he wants to see you."

"When can I see him?"

"Do you want to?"

"...Yeah."

"I'll talk to Sesshomaru," Kyoko promised, "But that man is pretty protective over you, too. He says it's something about paying his brother back after all the years of unfair torment he gave him, and the least he can do is assure your safety."

She laughed weakly, "He could let me out of his damn office too."

Kyoko smiled, laughing slightly, "I know he's dull, but he made sure you got back here to Japan safely. It wasn't like he could admit you to a hospital or anything, so he decided to bring you to his work-base-fortress-place and take care of you."

"I guess."

Kagome fell asleep soon after that, Kyoko lying her down on the black couch she'd been occupying for at least two weeks and tossing a blanket over her. When Kagome awoke next, she was cradled in someone's warm, strong arms.

"Y'know, these last few weeks have been hell."

She jumped up, snapping her eyes open to see if she'd really heard him, wincing when her body protested against her with a weak wave of pain.

"Don't hurt yourself," Koga said with a smile, giving her a squeeze in his embrace, "Don't want them pulling me out of here saying you reopened a wound, or something."

"Koga..." her voice wasn't more than a whisper when she relaxed in his arms, leaning into his chest, the fabric of his black shirt being clutched between her fingers, "...I'm so glad you're here."

"You know, that was really stupid of you," he said with a small smile, "Going and doing what you did. You literally got yourself killed!"

She smiled sadly, "It didn't matter Koga," she took a single, deep breath, "Even if you had been the one to kill him, I still would have died."

"What do you mean?"

"My life was tied to his," she began to explain, "I don't understand what he told me completely, but if he was to die, I was to die as well. It was something about him making some bond between us the first time he kidnapped me, making it so I was literally living on borrowed time so if he were to die, so would I. But he also made it so if I died, he wouldn't."

He was shocked, "...That makes no sense."

"I know it doesn't..." she began, sadness dripping from her tone, "But I had no fatal injuries when I attacked him – " She wasn't going to tell him that every injury he received she felt, to save Koga the guilt, " – and when he died, so did I. So, it really was better for me to take my own life by killing him, instead of you or Kumo killing him and, ultimately, killing me... Kyoko can probably explain it better than I can."

He held her a bit closer, "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Koga," she said softly, comforting him, "You and Kumo were the ones who saved me, who used the jewel to retrieve me from beyond. And I thank both of you for that."

As if on cue, she felt another weight fall on the couch, and she looked to find Kumo sitting beside them, smiling.

"Hello, Mother."

She made a quick movement to hug her son, escaping Koga's hold and ignoring the pain that came with her movements. He laughed slightly as he received her in his arms, giving her a gentle hug in response.

"What happened to him?" she asked quietly, moving so she was looking into her son's ruby depths, "After I died, what happened to Naraku?"

Kumo smiled wickedly, "He turned to ash once you stopped breathing. There was another man where he had been, some disgusting, mutilated person who was barely holding on to life. He died on his own though, once we took you off of him. And when you started breathing again, after Sesshomaru showed up, we got out of there and set the place on fire."

"Onigumo... was in his remains..." she muttered.

"Who?" Neither Koga or Kumo knew who she was talking about.

"The mortal half of Naraku," she explained, "The part of him that fell in love with Kikyo and made the decison that gave birth to Naraku."

"Well, it doesn't matter," Koga said, throwing his arms over to rest on the back of the couch, "Naraku is dead, turned to dust. We won't need to worry about him now. The battle..." he sighed in releif, "...is over."

Not a second later Kumo was met with a deadly stare from his mother, a chill running down his spine. He couldn't tell if she was pissed or not, but he knew for sure that he was in trouble. But for waht, he wasn't sure.

"You used the Wind Scar. How?" she demanded.

"Um... I dunno..." he lied, his right eye twitching, "Instinct?"

"You're lying."

"Well, Mother, I really don't know." He smiled, determined not to let his mother know he'd been responding to a voice inside his head, much like a schizophrenic would, "It just happened."

She sighed, "Oh, whatever. I'm just glad you're safe."

"I'm just glad you're alive!" he responded, "That was really stupid of you! If Sesshomaru hadn't have arrived right after you started breathing again, I wouldn't have known what to do. Koga couldn't walk and you were bleeding all over the place – we were afraid we were going to lose you again!"

"Well, everything turned out alright, didn't it?" she wasn't planning on explaining about the "bond" with Naraku to her son, "I'm getting better, and all of us are alive."

"Except Kappei," Kumo laughed, "Shippo beheaded him for badmouthing you!"

Kagome's eyes widened, "That's why?!"

"I'm sorry, Kagome," Shippo appeared in front of them, smiling, "But I just kind of got caught up in the fact that InuYasha's soul was inside the bastard, and it was like he was saying what Kappei said about you. So, I... ripped off his head."

"If InuYasha hadn't been happy about that, _I_ would be killing you personally right now, Shippo."

The kitsune's brow furrowed, "How do you know if InuYasha was happy about it?"

"I was dead," she smiled, "duh."

He chuckled, "It was just a little good hearted, violent payback."

"What happened to the one foot tall, innocent little kitsune I used to love?" she joked.

"He got tall." Shippo laughed.

"Well," Kagome watched as Kyoko appeared at Shippo's side, as well as Hakkaku and the girl who was supposedly Kagura's reincarnation, "You seem better. It's as good a time as ever to tell you that Sesshomaru's supplying you with a home, and you can't say no."

"What do you mean, Kyoko?" Kagome was confused out of her mind, "I've got my home back with my family. I don't need a home of my own."

"With Naraku's death, not all danger has been destroyed," Sesshomaru appeared beside all of them, "He has many, many followers who will be out to avenge him and murder their Master's killer. It is widely known that it was you, miko. That puts you in a great position of danger, including your family if you were to stay with them. It is only appropriate that you be placed in a home away from them, and that your address not be known widely."

"Oh," Kagome understood fully, knowing she could never put her family in danger, "Where is it?"

"You will be escorted there when you have fully healed."

"Can I take Koga?" She asked in a nearly begging manner, "He hasn't exactly adapted to this time zone yet."

"...If that is both your wishes." And as Sesshomaru left the group be, the final reality of what she had done settled over Kagome.

_He's dead... Naraku... is finally dead... _It seemed as if cold water was rushing down over Kagome, a smile widening across her face as Koga took her back into his hold.

_We can be happy... _The truth of that fact swept through her body, warmth flooding over her as the cold shock disappeared, _I can be happy with Koga, I can stop hiding..._

And, with those thoughts, time moved forward peacefully.


	21. Life After Death

**I. Love. You. Yes, you - you with the hair! It was you who made this wondrous story great, it was you who kept me going! Because of that I thank you from the deepest corners of my heart. If I could, I'd all give you the "best reader award" trophy. And then, there are some whom I would give the world, and all the money it possesses. Those were the two that pushed me through this over email, who cheered me on and dealt with me throughout it all. I have gained some very great friends.**

**Now read on - enjoy! For, alas, this is your last chapter. But, fear not, it has a twist... kind of. And yes, I'm sad to see it go, but I'm glad that it's finished. And, once again: I LOVE YOU!**

**And, oh, one quick rant. There is a song by Skillet called "The Last Night," and if I had listened to it before I had written the first chapter, it would have been my inspiration. It is **_**amazing**_**, and absolutely perfect for this story. I command you to search it and listen to it!**

**And, before you ask, I _am _debating a continuation (or something to that extent) for this story. No, not a sequel. It would be more or less... "deleted scenes". I had a couple of things and conversations I would have loved to put in here, but they just didn't fit. Like, in the previous chapter, I would have like Sesshomaru and Kagome to have more to their dialogue, but it didn't work correctly. So, if that happens, it'll be the Chapter 22 to this story. I've also thrown the thought around in my head about writing a kindof-sequel to this story as well, that would take place during the timespan where Koga and Kagome were presumabley dead, with Kumo and Co. But, really, that is totally up in the air right now, and I don't know if I will be motivated enough, or even have enough time to do that. Give me your opinions. But, the "deleted scenes" chapter has a very good chance of birth, just because I really do hate to see this go. The Kumo story... eh, not so much. **

**So, be sure to leave your opinions on that. ****Now go! Read on! And I thank you a million times over, once again!**

_**-Obaa-chan (or Kagome-obaachan): Grandmother****  
-Ojii-chan (or Koga-ojiichan): Grandfather  
-**__**Duodecaplets: **_**_A multiple birth consisting of 12 babies._ **

**And... no, I know nothing about children being born. You'll figure this out later in the chapter.**

* * *

For a long time, neither of them had realized that the Shikon's wish had left behind side effects. It hadn't even come to mind until her twenty-first birthday, long after the defeat of Naraku, when Kagome's mother mentioned something about her still looking the exact same as she had when she was seventeen. And when both Koga and Kagome realized how true this was, they went asking around. Finally, they received Sesshomaru's theory on the subject. The taiyokai guessed that the Jewel had given her life by taking it from another, probably from a person that she cared very deeply about. And, because of this, she and that person were sharing life spans, and if she were to die or that person were to die, the same would happen to the other. He made this assumption based on the fact that she had a lingering scent of yokai inside her blood, a fact that only he had picked up because he had been paying attention and given a second thought to it, while everyone else had just brushed it off or hadn't even noticed.

It would take years, though, to test out Sesshomaru's theory.

So when Kagome had reached her one hundredth and fifty-first birthday, still looking the same as she had been when she had been seventeen, they all assumed his theory was correct. So, since it was Kumo had been the one to make the wish, they had though he was the one her life was connected to. They only realized that they were wrong when Koga got backed into by a car due to his lack of attention, and Kagome had suffered his pains as well. But, in the end, both of them were fine with it. As long as they were together, a lot didn't bother them.

Yet, the Shikon Jewel's side effects weren't the only thing that was left behind from their struggles of the past.

Kagome, throughout the months of her mayhem and confusion, had been very scatter brained. Many things that she usually would notice went unnoticed, which meant she had realized that she'd been missing her periods. When her life was back on track and she finally had noticed, it had been much to late by that point. One short visit to the doctor explained that Naraku had damaged her beyond reason, and now her reproductive organs did not work as they should. In short, she was infertile. She couldn't have children. That simple fact had taken a toll on both her and Koga, who had wished to have children together one day, and many nights she had fallen asleep crying in his arms. But they had overcome the obstacle together, over time, and were both willing to carry on. As it always was, when they were together, not much could stop them.

So now they sat here, around the coffee table with their friends joining them, screaming children running in circles around the vicinity.

"Shippo," Kagome smiled over at her adoptive-son, "Does Kagome-obaachan need to take over?"

The kitsune, who was under an illusion that made him look human, glanced over at her, his chase to grab one of his five children halted.

"I would be eternally grateful." He begged.

Sesshomaru scoffed, "You are a father, kitsune. Take charge of your children."

"Oh be nice," Kyoko laughed, "He's doing Daddy Day Care while Mommy visits the doctor to get her ultrasound."

"Okay, kids!" Kagome announced, stopping all the screaming and running simply with her voice, "Koga-ojiichan wants to play now."

"You evil—!" But Koga's protest was cut off as five small kitsunes tackled him, causing him and his chair to topple to the ground.

Kyoko laughed aloud, head dropping to rest on the circular table as she watched Koga be mauled by the five children, shaking with laughter.

"He would be useless as a father," Sesshomaru commented, sipping on his coffee from his seat at Kagome's right.

"They would have worked it out," Shippo said as he took a seat next to the gap where Koga used to sit, Kyoko on his left, "And, anyways, Kagome's a good Mother. She could have handled it all on her own if Koga really was _that_ useless."

"I second that." Kumo said with a smirk, raising his own drink up in the air momentarily before taking a sip.

"Well, anyways, Kagome." Kyoko straightened back up as she addressed her friend, who was across from her, "I heard that your nephew passed away last week."

"Yeah..." she seemed a bit sad, but smiled despite it, "He was old."

"How are his kids doing?"

"Dunno," she commented thoughtfully, taking a drink of her coffee, "I don't really see them but from afar, you know."

Suddenly a child went flying up in the air, landing smack in the middle of the table, a dazed look on her face.

"Koga!" Kagome chastised, "No throwing children!"

"She bit me!" Koga protested, managing to pull himself to his feet, only to have the other four children hanging on to him by their teeth as well, "They're _all_ biting me!"

"Children!" Kagome scolded, "No biting!"

The all looked ashamed of themselves as they dropped to the ground, leaving Koga covered in bite marks.

"Sorry, Obaa-chan." They chanted, including the one that had crawled away from the middle of the table to sit in her lap.

"You're forgiven," she said with a smile, "And I think your cousin might be more willing to play with you all."

"Alright!" the four on the ground chanted rushing over to the smiling Kumo, the fifth in her lap quite content with her spot in obaa-chan's lap.

"Seriously, Shippo," Koga commented as he pulled his chair back up, taking his seat on Kagome's left, "Why the hell did you have five kids?"

"We didn't mean to," Shippo grumbled, "How were we supposed to know she was going to have quintuplets?"

"Wats kin-tup-lets, Daddy?" asked the small girl from Kagome's lap.

"It means your mom gave birth to five babies at the same time, Akane."

"Oh." The child went back to daydreaming after that, curling up in Kagome's lap.

"I have hope that your mate will be pregnant with duodecaplets, kitsune," Sesshomaru stated, "Then maybe you will grasp the fact that a Father must command his children."

"Sesshomaru, I doubt having twelve children is even humanly possible," Kagome commented.

"It has happened."

"You know what, Sesshomaru," Shippo said, "Why don't you go and have some kids and then tell me that Father's need to control their children."

"Sesshomaru is the most asexual creature on the planet," Kumo said as the four children crowded in his lap, growing tired and ready for their naps, "Or at least, he acts like it."

"If those children were not in your lap you would have a hole in your stomach," Sesshomaru warned.

Kyoko laughed, "He's telling the truth, Sesshomaru. And it really is a shame, since you're such _a pretty_ _woman._"

The reference of what she had called him in her drugged state so long ago probably wasn't the best idea on her part, since she quickly found herself drenched in Sesshomaru's hot coffee.

She shrugged as she shook some of the liquid off of her, "Could a' been worse."

"He's going to kill you one day, Kyoko, and no one is going to care," Koga murmured.

"I'd miss you!" Kagome said with a smile.

"See!" Kyoko responded with a smile, "Someone loves me! Unlike you, Koga."

"Oh shut up..."

"I take my leave," Sesshomaru said, standing, "I have business to attend to."

"Goodbye, Sesshomaru," Kumo and Kagome said at the same time.

"Good riddance." Shippo mumbled.

Kyoko and Koga said nothing as he left.

"Why are you guys so cold?" Kagome said with a smirk.

"I treat him like he treats me," Koga muttered.

"I just don't like him." Kyoko said with a smile, "And I find it hilarious that he still thinks he beat me up for splitting his pants way back when. Idiot got fooled by an illusion."

"You do realize that I can still hear you?" Sesshomaru's voice echoed from across the parking lot as the sound of his car roaring to life flooded the scene in a threatening way, the sun setting on the horizon.

"Gotta go!" Kyoko said with a smile, long gone before any of them could wish her a goodbye.

Kumo laughed, "Y'know, when it comes down to it all, that girl really can be a coward."

"At least she's cute." Koga said, causing Kagome to give him a strange look.

"Yeah..." Kumo agreed, getting an even stranger look from his mother than what his adopted father had received, "I–I mean – ! Uh... er..." he suddenly got a very defeated look upon his face, "Shit."

"Hah!" Koga exclaimed, "I knew it! You _do _like her," he laughed, "And that sort of disgusting in a way, with how she raised you and all."

Kumo turned beat red, "Shut up!"

Shippo laughed at him, and Kagome stifled her giggle.

"Koga, that was mean," she said, smacking his arm slightly.

"So, ask her out," Koga prodded, "I bet she'll say yes. Or just accuse you of some form of incest, you freak."

"Shut up!" he was engulfed in obvious embarrassment, "Keep to your own business."

"Make me," Koga challenged.

"Well," Shippo interrupted as the wolf and spider began to growl at each other, "I think I'll get be going home before these two tear each other apart..." He stood, walking over and scooping four of his now sleeping children in his arms, moving over to Kagome last to have her place the small girl on his shoulders, where she latched onto her father's hair in her sleep, "I'll see you guys later," he whispered as he left them be.

"I think I'll get out of here too," Kumo said, standing, his red eyes still glaring down at Koga, "You guys wanna ride?"

"No," Kagome said, smiling, "We'll walk home."

"Well, get out of here soon then," he began to walk away, "It's getting dark."

"Of course."

And once everyone was gone, driving away from the small coffee shop they sometimes gathered around on deserted days, Koga and Kagome finally stood, beginning to make their departure as well.

Koga snaked his arm around her waist, smiling as she leaned into him.

"Y'know, thing turned out really weird for us." She began, "I mean, with how this all started out and how it ended... I never would have expected it."

"Yeah," he agreed, "And with the exclusion of a some things, I'm pretty glad that all that led up to this."

"The exclusion of what?"

"...Naraku."

She smiled softly, "It's over now, Koga. Don't worry about it."

"I know," he pulled her just a bit closer, "But I can't exactly forget."

Her hand traveled up to her cheek, brushing against the scar that rested there, "I know. But c'mon," she nudged him playfully, "Everything turned out for the best."

"I guess," he said with a smirk, kissing the top of her head.

Before she could say another word, her eyes caught sight of something in the alley they were passing by.

"Koga..." she began, stopping, "What's down there?"

His eyes were much sharper than her's in the dark, "A woman," his words were slow, "We should probably just keep on going though..."

"Koga, is she in trouble? 'Cause... I swear... it just seems that something isn't _right_ here."

"Umm..."

But before Koga could give her a correct answer, the woman's gasp was heard, echoing through the descending darkness, the street lamps flickering to life. There was a strange, gurgled sound of pain that followed, and Koga couldn't catch Kagome in time as she sped down into the alley way.

"Miss," she asked, kneeling down beside the woman, "Are you alright?"

The woman took grasp of her hand, giving Kagome a glimpse of the diamond bracelets she wore. This was no homeless.

"Please..." the woman mumbled, gripping Kagome's hands until her knuckles turned white, "...Save my baby."

Koga came to kneel beside Kagome, but his scolding fell on deaf ears as she gazed down at the woman. Sure enough, her belly was swollen, blood barely visible to Kagome's eyes as it soaked through the folds of her dress and pooled at her feet

"Koga," Kagome said urgently, cutting off his words, "She's having a baby."

"...What?"

"Here," she placed the woman's hand in Koga's, "Comfort her."

She left the shocked wolf there, quickly going to look and see if the baby was visible yet. Luckily, there was no sight of the baby.

"Koga, stay here," Kagome ordered, standing, "I'm going to go call for an ambulance."

"No!" The woman yelled, causing Kagome to stop in her tracks, "You can't call them!"

"Why?"

The woman looked around, as if she were trying to make up a reason to make it so Kagome wouldn't call. And then her eyes caught sight of the talisman hanging around Koga's neck, a relieved look coming upon her features.

"It's a hanyo..." she said, her breathing becoming more rapid, "I don't want the doctors... to hurt the baby..."

Koga looked mortified, "Kagome, come here. Take her hand."

Kagome listened as Koga went to see if the baby visible, once again.

"Miss, tell me," Koga began, relieved that the baby still wasn't visible, "what breed of yokai? Do you know?"

"...Dog." she chocked out.

Kagome was quick to dig in her pocket, pulling out a cell phone, "I'm calling Sesshomaru."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? We both know that he hated InuYasha..."

"Koga," she put the phone up to her ear, "He regrets how he treated InuYasha. He'll come."

Sesshomaru answered on the first ring.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome began, the woman's breathing becoming even more rapid, "I need you."

"_Where?" _Koga could hear the man's smooth voice on the other line.

"Near the coffee shop," she squeezed the woman's hand, "We ran into a woman, she's in labor with a inuhanyo child. Can you help?"

He seemed hesitant, _"...I'll be there soon."_

"Thank you."

She closed the phone, setting it on the ground as the woman let out another sound of pain.

"Someone's coming to help us, Miss," she began, trying her best to comfort the woman, "He's an inuyokai and he had a hanyo half-brother. You'll be safe with him."

"Don't make promises that can't be kept." Sesshomaru's voice was smooth as he came to stand next to Kagome, towering over the two women.

"That was abnormally quick."

"This Sesshomaru is not one to be called slow, let alone abnormal," he knelt down then, scanning over the woman with his eyes, "Who is the father, woman?"

"His name... is Masao."

"He's dead." Sesshomaru would have sighed if he were a normal person, but instead, he just turned his attention to Koga, "Do you see the infant?"

The woman let out a sudden scream, the blood pooling around her legs much quicker.

"Now I can."

Sesshomaru turned towards the miko, "Comfort her. Most women do not survive giving birth to their hanyo children. Izayoi was one of the lucky few."

Sesshomaru stood then, walking over to tower over Koga and instruct him. Kagome let the woman's nails did into her hand until it became quite painful, not noticing when Koga's hand began to twitch as she shared her pain with him.

"...What will happen..." the woman began, "...To my baby... If I die?"

"Sesshomaru is the head of the inuyokai race. He'll give the baby a good home. I promise you that." Kagome said, "But he won't have to if you pull through this. Be strong."

The woman gave a strained smile, a scream dying behind her gritted teeth.

"Push." Sesshomaru instructed.

The woman squeezed Kagome's hand even tighter as she obeyed, the pure strain on her body causing her to sit up.

"It's alright," Kagome comforted when the woman relaxed as much as physically possible, her forehead beaded with the sweat that the miko brushed away, "It'll be over soon."

"Push."

She obeyed again, her scream echoing this time.

"Almost there..." Kagome comforted.

"Once more." Kagome could just barely detect the emotions flickering in and out of Sesshomaru's voice.

The woman pushed, nails drawing blood from Kagome's hand as she did so. And then a baby's cry echoed through the night, the woman automatically slackening at the sound.

"My... My baby..." she panted.

"It is a boy." Sesshomaru announced, sliding his jacked off of his shoulders and handing it to Koga, muttering quickly how to tie off the umbilical cord.

"What... What should I name him...?" the woman questioned Kagome.

"Whatever you like," Kagome said with a smile, "He's your baby..."

Sesshomaru's unexpected hand pulled her up by her shoulder, causing her to drop the woman's hand as Koga approached, kneeling down where she had been and handing the child over.

"Death is settling over her, Kagome," Sesshomaru rarely used her name, "She has mere moments left."

"What will happen to the baby?" she whispered.

"I am head of the clan. He will be put in a safe place."

She nodded sadly, kneeling down beside Koga and watching with soft eyes as the dying Mother held her newborn.

The woman looked up at her, her eyes dulling much too quickly, "Keitaro."

Kagome smiled, "That's a pretty name."

"...Tell him... that I love him..." she pleaded, only a flicker of life left in her eyes.

"Of course," Kagome promised, a lump in her throat rising as she watched the mother brush her lips against the crying infant's forehead.

She leaned into Koga as the woman slackened, her eyes closing. And as she exhaled what was her last breath, Kagome could have sworn she heard it much easier than the child's screams.

Sesshomaru was nearly silent as he swept the baby up into his arms, turning so the child wouldn't see his mother if he were to open his eyes. Koga stood in the same manner, pulling Kagome up with him as she cuddled into his chest, tears brimming over her eyes.

"Sesshomaru," Koga asked quietly, "What are we going to do with her?"

"A burial will be preformed," he said quietly, "I will arrange it."

"The baby?" Kagome's voice was quiet as she turned around, still in Koga's arms, hot tears lining down her face and trailing on the many lines and ridges of her scar.

Sesshomaru turned to her, his golden gaze unreadable. For a long, silent moment, their gaze didn't break as his thought process continued on. And then, with long and graceful strides that made him seem as if he were floating on air, he approached her.

"Many in my clan," he began slowly, "have no tolerance for beings of hanyo breed, whether they be newborn or not. I know only one person whom I could entrust a hanyo life to without hesitation."

And then, in a movement that seemed slow motion, Sesshomaru held out the child.

"He is under your care."

The world seemed to freeze around both Koga and Kagome, but somehow she managed to reach out and take the child from Sesshomaru's possession, eyes wide and surprised.

"I will have any supplies the child may need delivered to your home," Sesshomaru said, turning and walking away, "I take my leave. There will be someone here later to retrieve the late Mother's body."

And then he was gone with a gust of an unnatural breeze, leaving only Koga and Kagome standing in an alley way, frozen in shock. They might have stood there for hours, or maybe just a few minutes, but eventually Koga managed to gather Kagome and the newborn in his arms, running down the streets underneath the night stars. It wasn't until the three found themselves behind the locked doors of the couple's home did Kagome snap back into reality as the baby continued to wail.

She drew the child close to her, Sesshomaru's jacket still wrapped tight around the bloody newborn, hushing it.

"Koga," she said softly, "Would you fill the bathtub up just a little bit? With warm water, please. We need to clean him off..."

"Of course." He set her down gently on the couch, leaving her to sit alone with the baby.

"It's alright..." she began to say to the child, as if on autopilot, "...Shh, darling. It's alright."

"He's of inuyokai blood," Koga's voice rang down the halls as the sound of running water filled the loft they lived in, "From what I've know about wolf pups, separation from the mother means certain death. He's scared. I doubt he'll quiet himself until he falls asleep."

She didn't respond, but when the sound of the running water stopped, she stood. With gentle movements she walked him down to the bathroom, meeting sight with a shirtless Koga.

"Give him here," Koga said quietly, "I'll clean him. You just go get a blanket that I can wrap him up in, and then go lay down. All of that took a toll on you."

She nodded, handing the screaming baby over to it's new adoptive father, holding herself in a hug as she took to the stairs, leading herself up to the room they shared. She knelt down at the foot of their bed, where a chest lay, opening it with a groan of the wood that came from the structure. It took her only a few moments to dig through the things of the past, such as both of their furs they had worn, Koga's decorative sword, and other things before she felt the fabric of the robe make contact with her. She carefully dragged the red robe out from beneath all the other things, standing up and allowing the chest to snap closed on it's own as she beat out the dust from the fabric. She rarely took it out from it's place tucked beneath ancient items, and now, someone would finally have use of it. So, with quick steps she returned to the bathroom, watching Koga carefully bathe the child in the inch-high amount of bath water.

"Here," she said quietly, setting the robe of the fire rat on his lap, kneeling beside him and watching the hanyo's relentless screams as he was washed.

Now that the blood washed away into the water, she could see his features. He had a round face with a rather lean body for a newborn, as well as brilliant bright blue eyes that would sometimes reveal themselves as he screamed. And, as she may have guessed, the child had a head of vibrant, short and shimmering silver hair, with the tiniest of dog ears poking out of the top of his head, fluffy and white.

"Do you think..." she said in a whisper, letting her words fade away.

"No," Koga answered, "Kappei had a scent similar to InuYasha's. This child isn't like that."

"Hm."

When the time came, she held out the towel to dry the child, his screams dying down to a much quieter level by this point. And when she wrapped the baby in the robe of the fire rat, she left Koga to clean the bathtub of any blood that might stick to it's surface, taking seat on the couch once more. By this point the baby was only whimpering, the sound making her chest tighten painfully, as if her heart were about to burst.

"Oh, darling," she cooed quietly, "You're safe... It's okay... It's ok, ok, ok..."

And finally, when the child exhausted himself into sleep, there was a light knock on the door. She was about to stand, but she heard Koga walking into the room, so she relaxed against the couch again.

He opened the door, and automatically was met with a voices.

"What happened?" Kumo sounded bewildered, but it was Kyoko who would finish the explanations.

"Sesshomaru called. Said we had to go and buy baby stuff and bring it to you, but he wouldn't tell us why. Shippo and Hakkaku are right behind, carrying the crib."

She pushed passed him and into the house, the many baby products she was carrying threatening to fall from her hands. Kumo followed close behind, setting down his armful on the nearby table, confused as well.

"Koga, please," he pleaded, "Tell us what's going on. Did Mother get pregnant?"

"No, darling," Kagome answered from the couch, "We had a little complication coming home from the coffee shop. We ran across a woman in labor in the alley and we tried to help her, we even called Sesshomaru and he came. But she died, while giving birth to an inuhanyo."

"What?" Kyoko didn't bother to place her armful on the table – she let it drop straight to the floor as she quickly made her way over to Kagome's side.

Her eyes were wide when she set eyes on the baby, her body giving out as she sat on the coffee table in front of Kagome.

"He's the spitting image of... InuYasha."

"I know," Kagome said quietly, "Sesshomaru... he entrusted the baby to us."

Kumo was next to come over, leaning against the couch back and taking a look at the baby over his Mother's shoulder. His hands came to rest comfortingly on her shoulders.

"Are you happy, Mother?" he asked quietly.

"...I think so." She answered, "I mean... I can't have a child of my own... and..."

Shippo and Hakkaku entered the room then, carrying two large, slender cardboard boxes.

"Where do you want them?" Shippo asked Koga, "And you owe me a huge explanation for this."

"Just..." Koga seemed at a loss for words, "Just put them in our room, for now."

The two nodded, disappearing when they ascended up the flight of stairs.

"Kagome," Koga said quietly, coming to sit next to her, "You need your rest, while the infant is sleeping."

She nodded groggily, leaning into his warmth. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into an embrace on his lap.

"Kyoko," he began softly, "I know nothing of raising kids, especially newborns, and especially of another demonic race."

"You'll do fine," she said confidently, "Kagome will know what to do, I bet. And Sesshomaru is always there for questions, if you can manage to get a hold of him. Shippo is a Father as well, you can ask him."

"We weren't prepared," Kagome admitted from her spot in his arms, but he shushed her.

"I know you weren't, Mother," Kumo comforted, "But you didn't exactly get a message saying that I was going to be dropped on your doorstep before I arrived."

"...I guess not."

"And, when you were there, I remember loving you so much... You were a great Mother. You kept me safe even though you were so messed up, you made sure I had what I needed to keep on going. And I doubt Shippo came with a warning label, either."

"I didn't!" Shippo's call echoed through the house, "I tried to rob her the first time I met her!"

Kumo chuckled lightly, "See, Mother? You'll do fine."

She nodded weakly, moving closer in Koga's embrace.

"Sleep, Kagome," Koga said softly, pulling her a bit closer.

Not soon after she heard his voice, she slipped into darkness.

* * *

When she awoke, she was in their bed, tangled in the covers. She could hear Keitaro screaming on the floor below, and in an involuntary action she found herself standing. Her sweat pants hung loosely around her, as did the large white shirt that she had stolen from Koga to wear as a night shirt. She didn't bother to give it a second thought, knowing Koga had probably changed her clothes when he had laid her down to rest, quickly making her way out of the room, ignoring the fact that a crib now stood next to a changing table against a far wall.

"Shh... darling..." Kyoko's voice was heard as Kagome made her way down the stairs, "Everything is alright."

Kagome came to enter a scene where Kyoko held the baby, feeding him from a bottle sip by sip as he screamed. Kumo sat on a far edge of the large first floor, putting together what looked like a dresser, the instructions and pieces spread out around him. Koga sat on a bar stool not far away from where Kyoko stood, massaging his temples. Kagome was quick to go over to him, her hands settling on his shoulders as she leaned over him.

"Morning..." he muttered, obviously tired, "Did you sleep well? The baby didn't wake you up?"

"No," she said with a warm smile, "What time is it?"

"Seven," he answered, sighing.

"Dear, go up to bed," she said softly, "You're tired."

He hesitated for a moment, but stood, "I think I'm going to take you up on that offer. Will you be alright?"

"We're here," both Kyoko and Kumo recited at the same time, an automatic reaction to words Koga said so often, "She'll be fine. Stop worrying."

And then he climbed up the stairs, quickly disappearing into the bedroom, undoubtedly crashing on the bed and falling asleep the moment he hit the mattress. Kagome smiled lightly, watching Kyoko slowly make progress with the child and feeding.

"Here," Kyoko said after a minute, when the boy had the bottle in his mouth again, "Take him. I'm not going to be here all time to help you, so now is the time to learn."

Kagome was hesitant, but she took the child anyways, carefully cradling Keitaro in her embrace while she fed him, bottle in her other hand. Shockingly, the child stopped fussing at once, relaxing in Kagome's arms and drinking from the bottle without problem.

"Well," Kyoko said with a smile, "It looks like he remembers you."

Kagome was completely confused, "...That's a good thing, right?"

Kyoko laughed, taking a seat on the bar stool that was near Kagome's, "Of course it is. Hanyo children, as well as yokai children, recognize everything by smell when they are first born. They have to learn what everything smells like, and to nearly all of the newborns, they latch on to the first female they smell. Keitaro may have first been exposed to his real Mother's scent at first, but she's far beyond his reach. He's going for the second womanly presence. That is, of course, if he didn't mistake Sesshomaru for one. I'd bet you anything that bastard has been hit on by a straight man before."

"And how do you propose we find that out?" Kumo asked from a distance, "Asking him would only end up with someone dying."

"I can outwit him with my superior vocabulary," Kyoko joked, "I'll trick him into saying it!"

"...You come back to me and tell me how that turned out, alright?" Kumo muttered with a slight chuckle.

When the baby began to fuss, quite finished with his bottle, Kyoko began to instruct.

"He needs to be burped, Kagome," she said, throwing a baby blanket that had no doubt just been taken out of its wrapper on her shoulder, "Just hold him up so his head is resting on your shoulder and pat his back until you hear him burp."

Kagome obeyed, soon being rewarded with the child's soft belch.

"He's probably going to fall asleep now," Kyoko commented, "but since Koga's sleeping, I'd think you'd probably want to just lay out here with him."

Kagome agreed, lying herself out on the couch and resting the baby on her chest. Kyoko sat on the floor in front of her, speaking in soft tones.

"You're probably going to want to carry around a stuffed animal with you for a while so your scent will be with it. It'll make it easier on you guys when he goes to sleep, since it will seem as if his parents are right beside him all night long if he has the plush. Doing that will make it so he won't wake up without reason."

She nodded, a stuffed animal flying from across the room for Kyoko to catch.

"You're welcome," Kumo said.

"Thank you, dear," Kagome responded, "You've really been helpful. I appreciate it."

"Anything for you, Mother."

Kyoko placed the small dog plush next to Kagome's body, "Carry this around with you for a while, alright?"

"Sure thing."

"Oh, another thing," Kyoko continued on, "You ever changed a diaper before?"

Kagome laughed quietly, "Of course I have."

"Alright then," the wolf demoness seemed relieved, "Then I don't have to go through that speech with you, at least."

Kagome smiled softly, "I can help Koga with all of this."

There was the slightest pause before anything else was said, "I'm surprised, actually," Kyoko mumbled, "with how well you're taking this."

Kagome closed her eyes, feeling as if she hadn't slept long enough, which probably was the case, "We'll get through it. And it's not as if I could turn him away..."

"It hit you hard when we all found out you were infertile," she muttered quietly, "Both you and Koga were a wreck for a while. But maybe this baby will be good for you... No – this baby _will _be good for you. You missed a huge chunk of both Shippo's and Kumo's lives, but now you have a little baby you can coo over and cuddle with, even when he screams." She smiled weakly, "It turns out being the best thing in your life, Kagome, even when things don't end up as you had hoped."

A pained expression came across Kagome's face, "I'm so sorry..."

"For what?"

"...I led Kyo to his death."

"_No!_" Kyoko's whispered snap caused Kagome to jolt in surprise, managing not to wake the baby in some sort of miracle, "Don't you _ever_ say that Kagome. Kyo fought with you because he wanted to. I wouldn't have let him go if Koga was just bringing him for more man power. He told me he wasn't afraid of dying on the battlefield, and he'd be glad to die for you. And that was what happened. Don't you ever dare blame that on yourself."

"Kyoko..."

"Yes, it hurt losing him. But he's happy, where ever the hell he ended up, and that's all that matters. Understand?"

Kagome smiled softly, "Yes. I understand."

"Good." Kyoko's stern face returned back to normal, "Now, you look like you could use some more sleep too... I'm going to carry you two up so you can rest with Koga. We should start trying to get the baby used to the crib, even though he's only a day old."

* * *

When Koga awoke, he found another body cuddled close to him, his arms wrapped snugly around it.

"Kagome...?" he mumbled quietly, cracking his eyes open to take a look at the woman's form.

"Hmm?" she shifted slightly beneath him, her arms hugging a bit tighter around his bare torso.

"Where's the baby...?"

"In his crib, I think," she responded quietly, "Kyoko said she was going to try and get him to rest there, and if he wouldn't, she was going to take care of him while we rested."

"Oh..." he was silent for a moment as he shifted Kagome around in his hold, pulling her much closer to him and entangling his legs in hers, his eyes sliding closed again, "This whole thing..." he began in a whisper, "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Of course," she mumbled, "It's not like I can turn away a baby... especially a hanyo baby who wouldn't be accepted by anyone else."

"It's a lot, taking care of a baby," he stated, "You'll have to take time off of work."

She laughed quietly, "Remember, dear, I've got the best boss in the world. Sesshomaru lets me do whatever I want, as long as I don't take advantage of him. He already knows neither of us are showing up for a while, anyways."

"Hmm... I'm too tired to think straight..." he mumbled, burying his face in her hair.

She giggled softly in his embrace.

"Love," he began again after a moment, "Do you think... that I'll do alright? With the baby, I mean."

She pulled away from his slightly, causing his eyes to open as she stared up at his face, striking brown eyes meeting his blue.

"Of course you will, Koga." She assured, "You led a huge pack of wolves for who knows how many years. You took care of each and everyone of them – they were your family. And this baby is no different, whether he be child or adult. As long as you keep him safe, as long as you love him, you'll be doing fine."

"I've never worked with infants," he confessed, "It was always a woman's place to do such a thing."

"I'll help you," she promised, cuddling back into his embrace, "We'll do this together."

There was a pause before he spoke again, "...If you would have been able to birth children... would you have had pups with me?"

She pulled away from him once more, looking up at him incredulously, "Are you seriously asking that question, Koga?"

His silence was reply enough for her.

With soft lips, she reached up and brushed his lips with her own, the contact lasting for the briefest second, "Nothing in the world would have made me happier than finding out that I was pregnant with your baby, Koga. I promise you that."

He put his lips to hers for a longer moment, saying so many things the couldn't be spoken by word with the contact.

"I love you..." he murmured as they parted, burying his face in her hair when she cuddled back into his chest.

"And I will love you," Kagome responded, "always and forever."

He squeezed her into a hug, "So, we'll do this? We'll raise a child of our own?"

She nodded into his chest, "And he'll have Daddy's overconfidence and Mommy's good looks."

He chuckled, "I thought I was the good looking one."

"Don't flatter yourself, wolf prince," she teased, lifting her head up so he could see her grin.

"Oh yes," he said with a smile, putting his face just inches away from hers, "I often forget how my own looks fail in comparison to your beauty."

"Now you're just kissing ass, wolf-boy." She teased.

"I can make that little statement of yours become true, if you'd like." He said with his signature grin.

"I'd rather you not," she murmured just as his lips crashed down upon hers.

And so the days turned to months and the months created the years that passed by without their notice. She stayed the same, stuck at seventeen, for all her years, as Koga aged ever so slowly. After a while, time became nothing to either of them. They could have lived for a few centuries, or maybe even thousands of years, and neither of them would have cared or noticed. The only things that were sacred to them was their love and their family. Kumo lived on without them for many, many years, eventually moving away from Japan to find a new life somewhere else in the world. But he was always there in some form, whether it be by email or mail, video clips of his daily life sent alongside his messages every so often. Keitaro grew strong and handsome with the nurturing of his parents, and, without the slightest doubt, he was what made Kagome's and Koga's relationship the strongest. They would hold him as a child when he wailed on the nights where he was reverted to a human form, they would laugh along with him and punish him for his stupid actions. A child of many faces, the boy was often found bothering Sesshomaru whenever the taiyokai came around, often trying to dig out information the cold lord knew of his birth father. Luckily, Sesshomaru regarded him with a cold patience, ignoring him completely when he grew bored with the interrogations.

But, centuries after Keitaro had grown into maturity and moved out on his own, when Koga had a single streak of white hair that stuck out among his still raven dark locks, things began to slow down. The wolf never aged like Totosai or Myoga – he never grew irreversibly wrinkled and as thin as a pole, his voice never became withered with age and his attitudes remained unaffected. Yes, there were the smallest wrinkles that carved out the small stories of his life on his face, but he rather looked like a middle aged man in his elder years, as handsome as he had always been and as strong as ever.

One night, when Kagome walked into their bedroom, she was surprised to see him dawning on his armor from the past, his blue eyes looking at her with a small hint of sympathetic sadness. But she just smiled, walking up to him and giving him a peck on the cheek, digging out her old clothing as well. They would lay down in bed together, metal armor still as strong as ever as they held one another close, whispering words so silent that they sounded like a breeze of the wind. And, eventually, with the tightest holds on the other, they slipped into sleep.

They didn't wake up the next morning, found at the first rays of dawn by Kumo and Keitaro, whom had been alerted by Sesshomaru, who had just seemed to know that they had come to their end. With sad eyes the brothers had looked upon their parent's peaceful forms, each reading the personalized letter their parents had left behind for them, each asked to deliver the other letters to their respectful recipients.

And InuYasha, with that sad look on his face, had received them. Ginta and Kyo had been standing behind him, beaming brightly and waving, Rin standing at InuYasha's side with a sympathetic smile on her face. There were others there as well, crowded behind the group and overfilling the bridge, stragglers left to stand on the beams and the roof of the structure. They were the wolves slain by Kagura and Naraku, shouting and hooting, yelling and waving as they greeted their master at the bridge. Some had made it to Heaven and some had not, but they were in the "in between" – a passage that led to both Heaven and Hell. Sango and Miroku stood in the front of the large parade as well, smiling softly to their friend. But it had been InuYasha who had come up to them silently, crossing over from the middle of the bridge and beckoning toward them without a single word to follow him as the members of the parade began to turn and fade away.

So, hand in hand, the two had crossed over the bridge and over to the world beyond with the red clad hanyo leading their way, tears streaking down Kagome's face. Koga had wiped them away silently from her cheeks with a soft touch, comforting her without words. Their time was up, and now it was time to leave the world behind and let only the memories of themselves remain, to hope that their family might carry on their legacy, and remember how much they had loved them all.

"_A Wise Man once said_," Kagome's words from her days on Earth still rang through him, even after death, "_Love is like war: easy to begin, hard to stop_."

And so, they crossed over, crying and smiling at the same time.

"We're home." she had whispered to him.

"...Yes," he had muttered, "And I don't think my love for you has ever been stronger than it is now, Kagome."

She had laid her head on his shoulder, swept up into his arms when her legs became weak.

"I don't regret." A simple fact that meant so much.

"...Neither do I, my love."

_Love me, forever. _She had plead, as they faded away.

_I always have._

And then they were gone, unsure of what awaited them. They knew only one thing, the one thing they both knew that would keep them moving forward as they entered the unknown. They would be together, leaning on the other, loving the other until the end of the universe. They would remember, they would cry, they would laugh.

And, most of all, they would survive, hand in hand.


	22. Extras

**A/N: Here are the "_deleted scenes_" (or scenes I just couldn't add) that I couldn't fit into the story. Have fun!**

* * *

**Extra 1: Scars and Regrets  
****Sesshomaru and Kagome  
After Naraku's Death; Before Keitaro**

With Koga gone, off with some of the wolves, Kagome was left alone in their home. She was grateful for the time by herself - for the privacy - but her hand was itching for the phone. She was tempted to call someone, whether it be her now-old-and-wrinkled brother Souta, Kumo, or Kyoko. But, after some thought, she decided against it. So she lay out on the couch, grabbing a blanket and cuddling underneath it, turning on whatever movie she had left in the player. Yet, not after twenty minutes of the pirate movie had passed, there was a knock on her door.

"Who is it?" she called out lazily, not removing her eyes from the screen.

When there was no answer, she just laughed softly.

"Sesshomaru, why do you even bother to knock?" she asked as her door opened, his pure power snapping and crackling in the air around her.

He didn't answer her, just came to sit on the edge of the couch her body wasn't occupying. She looked up at him, his golden eyes focused on the screen. Her eyes lingered over the scar that was drawn on his face, the mutilation almost beautiful. It wasn't a jagged, raised, or ugly scar – it was simply just a line of silver skin lining the side of his face.

"Where did you get that scar, Sesshomaru?" she asked quietly, "InuYasha said that demon skin didn't scar, usually."

His eyes turned a bit distant, but he soon answered her.

"Naraku was the reason the demon hierarchy crumbled." Sesshomaru's voice was smooth and melodic, but quiet to her ears as he leaned up against the back of the couch, "My House eventually fell when it was under siege by his followers. It was there that this Sesshomaru engaged in battle with Naraku, and this scar was gained there."

"How?" the word was audible only by one with his sensitive hearing.

"My sword..." a disgusted expression flashed across his face for the briefest second, "...was turned against me."

She sat up then, turning so she was facing him. He looked over at her with his golden eyes, random emotions passing through his eyes. Almost hesitantly, she reached out towards him, her warm fingers trailing down the scar on the side of his face. He became deathly still, like the marble that had such a likeliness to his skin tone, as she touched him, but did not push her away.

"I never thanked you, have I?" she asked quietly, when her hand fell from his face, "For all you've done for us..."

"A thanks is not required," Sesshomaru said smoothly.

"But I feel like it is," she smiled softly, "Thank you, Sesshomaru."

"Hn." He turned his gaze back to the television, silence settling for a few moments.

"Why... why do you do what you do?" she asked quietly.

"Explain."

She took a deep breath, "You always make sure I'm safe... You make sure I have everything I need. Why do you do that? What... What made you _care_?"

"Do you wish for the complete truth?"

"Yes, Sesshomaru."

He paused before he spoke, "...My hate towards InuYasha was misdirected. I despised my father for giving him life, for staining the bloodline with a hanyo and taking up a mortal mistress. And when my Father died, when I didn't dare take my anger out on his mistress, I had only InuYasha to turn to.

"When I first met InuYasha, he was young. He was no taller than my knee, but his mother had already passed away. I... abandoned him, when no one else would take him in. When he grabbed for my hand, when he begged me to stay and keep him safe from the dangers of the night, I shook him away and walked the other way, with the slightest hope that something would get a hold of him and rid him from my life. I ignored the duty I had for him as his older brother, I dishonored my father by not keeping his second son safe. That was the very reason that InuYasha hated me, the very thing that drove a wedge between us. This Sesshomaru... was the one who taught InuYasha how to hate.

"And now, that InuYasha has passed away, I have realized my mistake." He paused, but continued on not a second too late, "You were important to him. The least I can do, now that he is gone, is to ensure your safety."

She took it all in, and then reached out and brushed her hand against his.

"He admired you, Sesshomaru," she whispered, "Even if he spoke of you with hate, you could see it in his eyes. You were something stronger than him, something he could learn from and try to defeat. And, most of all, you were his family. You were the last thing he had left, the last tie he had to his father and his family. Maybe you never really treated each other like brothers, but he would have rather killed for you than kill you, if it came down to the last blow."

He slipped his hand out from under hers, placing his arm to rest against the back of the couch. His golden eyes trailed over the television screen, bored as Johnny Depp reeled out another line of pirate gibberish.

"Why did you come here, Sesshomaru?" she asked with a smile.

"Your doctor's appointment," he said coolly, "Is scheduled for tomorrow morning."

Her face fell, but she tried to ignore the feelings as she brushed her worries away, "Are you taking me?"

"Kyoko will be here in the morning to wake you up," he answered.

"...Is there any thing else you needed to tell me?"

"No..."

She smiled softly to herself, finally realizing why the taiyokai was here, "Work too quiet?" she asked.

He hesitated, if only for a second, "Yes."

She relaxed back onto the couch, throwing her legs to rest on his lap so they weren't scrunched up to her body. It was surprising, how close of friends she'd become with Sesshomaru, no matter how awkward times could be.

_Even a taiyokai can get lonely, sometimes... _she thought, as he casually sent her toppling to the floor when he pushed her legs off of him.

* * *

**Extra 2: Infertility  
Koga and Kagome  
After Naraku's Death; Before Keitaro's Arrival **

"Are you sure?" Kyoko asked quietly, turning herself around to see the girl who sat in the back seats of the car, her legs pulled up to her chest as she stared out the window with a shattered look on her face.

"Yes..." Kagome mumbled, "I'll be fine."

Kyoko nodded, pulling up to the sidewalk, Kagome's door opening with a pop.

"Call me later." The demoness said quietly as the woman unfolded herself and climbed out of the car, a much too distant look on her face.

Kagome nodded blankly as she shut the door, turning on her heel and walking up towards the apartment building. In a blurry daze she managed to get to the topmost floor where she shared the loft with Koga, not even realizing when the tears began to fall. Only when the door opened on it's own did she snap back into reality, her watery eyes meeting with worried blue ones.

"Kagome..."

She didn't give him time to say anything else before she darted into his arms, clutching onto him as if her life depended on it. Not a second later did she find herself swept up into both of his arms, the door closing loudly behind them. She was too distressed to make out the words or comfort he spoke to her, but she soon found herself lowered into bed, Koga taking his spot beside her, his warm arms encircling her.

"Don't cry, Kagome," he begged, "Tell me, tell me what's wrong."

She chocked on her tears, clutching to the fabrics of his clothing tighter, unable to say anything.

"Did something happen?" he asked her carefully, positioning himself so that he was staring into her eyes.

"No," she managed to choke out as he wiped away her tears with soft kisses.

"Then what's wrong, my love?" he began to rub her back soothingly with one hand, "Why makes you cry?"

"I can't..." she began, chocking on her tears once again, "I can't have children."

His hand froze on her back as he stared at her, shock drawn onto his face.

"What...?" his voice was lower than a whisper, barely audible to her.

"I can't have children," she repeated, "I can't..."

He was quick to pull her as close as he could to himself, strong arms vowing never to let her go.

"What Naraku did to me..." she sobbed, "I've been damaged so badly, physically..."

"Hush, my love," he comforted, burying his face in her raven locks as his own voice wavered, "No more words."

"I'm sorry..." she sobbed, "So, so sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for," he comforted, "Nothing at all..."

That night, she was plagued by the nightmares that hadn't visited her for so long. But he was there, rocking her and comforting her, speaking words that calmed her in her dreams. Yet, he too, was plagued by nightmares of his own. But they would pull through it together, they would overcome this obstacle in their path.

The next morning, she felt as bad as she had before. Neither of them moved from their spot in the bed, their legs entwined and their arms wrapped around the other.

"...Can you forgive me?" she asked him quietly.

"For what?"

"...For disappointing you. For not being able to bear your children."

He positioned her so she could see straight into his eyes, "You haven't disappointed me, Kagome. I love you, and we can get through this."

She buried her face back into his chest, "Do you hate me?"

"Never." He gave her a squeeze to reassure her, his lips planting a kiss on her temple.

"...I love you."

"And I love you."

* * *

**Extra 3: The Terrible Twos  
Koga, Kagome, Kumo, Keitaro  
After Naraku's Death; After Keitaro's Arrival  
A/N: There's no real point to this one...  
**_**Okaa- (Keitaro would say "Kaa"): Mother  
Oyaji- (or Otou-) (Keitaro would say "Tou"): Father  
Nii- (or Aniki) (Keitaro would say "Niki"): Brother**_

Keitaro bit down on his lip to stifle his giggle, staring up at his father's hand, which was dangling over the couch armrest, unsuspecting and unaware of the toddler who sat beneath it. He watched the tanned limb twitch slightly as he stared up at it, his bright blue eyes glinting with mischievousness as he watched it.

And then, teeth barred, he lunged.

Kumo laughed aloud, falling off of his bar stool as he heard Koga yell, toppling off of the couch with the unsuspected force he had used in his jerking movement. Keitaro giggled madly through his teeth as he clamped down on his father's hand, glad that his actions were causing those around him to laugh. As long as the attention was on him, Keitaro was happy, even if it meant falling abruptly on the couch as his father cursed aloud.

"'Niki!" Keitaro cried happily as his elder brother picked him up, still shaking with laughter as they backed away from the now fuming wolf demon.

"So this is what you do?" Kumo asked with a mischievous grin, "You let your son bite down on you so he doesn't follow you-know-who into the shower?"

"'Tou stink!" Keitaro announced at the word 'shower,' crinkling up his nose, "Go take shower, 'Tou!"

Koga growled, but Kumo just continued laughing.

"What can you expect, Koga?" he snickered, "He's a dog demon! InuYasha always complained that you stunk."

"If Kagome wasn't here, Kumo, you'd be flying through a window right now!"

"Oh, he would, would he?" Kagome asked much too sweetly from the bathroom door, a towel wrapped around her.

"'Kaa!" Keitaro cried, squirming in his elder brother's hold as his mother smiled his way, ""Niki, down!"

Kumo laughed again as he set his younger brother on the floor, letting him run at his mother. Kagome picked him up with one arm, the other holding onto her towel.

"'Kaa!" the child yelled, hugging her droplet covered neck.

"Okaa, Keitaro, Okaa," Kagome corrected.

"Oh-Kaa." Keitaro repeated.

"Okaa." Recently, they had all been trying to get Keitaro to say the correct forms of the words, instead of his condensed version of the word.

"Okaa!" Keitaro, this time, emerged victorious.

Kagome giggled, "Good boy! Now, go back to Otou-chan will Okaa goes to change."

"NO!" it was his new favorite word.

"Yes, darling." She said, pulling her arm out from under him, only to have him hanging onto her neck like a large necklace, "Okaa needs to go change, and then I can play with you."

"No."

But Koga just came up to her, prying the boy off of her neck. Kagome caught sight of his blood covered hand, a small smile on her face.

"He bite you again?" she giggled.

"Yes..."

"Well, there's consequences for every action," she sighed, turning to walk away as her child screamed for her to come back, "Just don't punish him in front of me, please."

"Okaa!" he screamed, but she was soon gone.

* * *

**Extra 4: Teenage Rebellion  
Koga, Kagome, Keitaro  
After Naraku's Death; After Keitaro's Arrival  
A/N: Because every parent needs to encounter their son drunk out of his friggen' mind.  
**

In a scene that came straight out of the movies, the moment he stepped into the dark room, closing the door behind him with a jingle of his keys, the lights turned on.

"Where have you been?" this was no angry voice coming from the man sitting on the couch, it was a deadly growl.

Kumo's free hand flew up in front of him, "I'm not the delinquent this time!"

Koga automatically calmed, standing up and turning around to see his love's oldest son dragging his youngest along on his back.

"What the hell happened?!"

Kumo laughed without humor, "Just came up from Russia to come visit you guys, and then I find this little fucker lying out front. He's wasted out of his mind. He saw me, laughed like an idiot and tried to say my name, then passed out."

Koga was back to angry, steam billowing out of his ears, "You mean that little bastard snuck out to drink?!"

"Apparently so..." Kumo made a grunt as he heaved the unconscious inuyokai teen onto the back of the couch, Keitaro leaning over it at an awkward angle, his ears brushing the cushions, "...What did you guys do to piss him off?"

"Kagome didn't want him going to the party, so I told him not to go." Koga ground out, "But apparently, the little asshole went anyway."

"He'll have on hell of a headache tomorrow morning, that's for sure," Kumo muttered, "Is Mother asleep?"

There was a creak on the stairs, "Not anymore."

Keitaro mumbled something in his sleep as Kumo and Koga directed their attention towards her, the ex-miko draped in baggy sweats and a shirt that was too big for her.

"Kagome," Koga sounded much more relaxed than before, "Did we wake you?"

"No," she mumbled, "I wanted to get a drink..." she looked over at Kumo, her eyes brightening, "When did you get back, baby?"

"About five minutes ago," he said with a smile, "And I found this little idiot drunk out of his fucking mind outside the front door."

Kagome looked over to her son, who was still bent over backwards on the couch, her kind expression suddenly turning angry. For a second, she didn't say a word, but soon she said something in a voice that sounded much too sweet.

"Koga, darling, would you pick him up and put him in the bathtub please?"

Koga didn't ask, just simply followed directions.

She turned to Kumo, "Dear, would you please get a couple pieces of ice?"

He laughed, knowing what his mother was up to, "Of course."

She stormed down the remainder of steps to walk into the bathroom, glaring down at her drunk son. With unnerving grace she brushed passed Koga and set the water to its coldest level, a disturbing smile on her face. When Kumo entered, she turned towards him, taking the shower head into her hand.

"Kumo, dear," she said with a mischievous smile as she removed her son's ring, which served as his sealing talisman, making him return to his dog-hanyo form, "Would you be so kind as to put the ice in his ears?"

Kumo shook with laughter as he did so, a shiver running down the spine of the drunken teenager as he felt the ice enter his sensitive ears. And without direction Koga turned the water onto it's highest power, letting Kagome do the rest of the work.

The teen woke with a start as he was drenched in the coldest water imaginable, blue eyes snapping open as he jumped up and tried, futilely, to block the water. But it kept on coming in bone chilling waves, relentless and without mercy.

"How do you like that, huh?" he heard his father's voice echo out, a chill running through him that wasn't from the water.

"Stop!" he managed to sputter out, unable to see anything as the water continued to cascade around him, "C'mon, dammit, stop!"

Finally, the water stopped running and he managed to get the pieces of ice that were jammed in his ears out, his body beginning to shiver.

"What the hell was that for?!" the words slipped through his lips before he could stop them, and he automatically regretted it.

"What, you ask?" his mother's voice came, laced with anger, "Well, let's start with the fact that Kumo found you outside, _drunk_ out of your mind, or maybe the fact that you snuck out of the house to go to that party after we specifically told you not to!!"

"Uh..." the fog on his mind settled again, the alcohol pulling him down, "Er..."

"Got nothing to say, do you?" He heard his father's angry voice ask.

"Well, um..." his vision blurred, the alcohol dragging him further down into the hell hole he'd dug for himself, "...Damn!"

The water turned on him again.

* * *

**Extra 5: "What does **_**dead**_** mean?"  
Kumo, Kyoko  
Before Naraku's Death; When Koga and Kagome crossed through the well  
A/N: This is very short, written in (child) Kumo's POV. This would be included in the sequel with him that I so briefly mentioned in the last chapter, if I were to write it.**

I would tell her that I didn't want to be held, but she was determined not to listen. The second she had seen the little fox demon and the wolf that Mother had left with, she had scooped me up in her arms, refusing to let me go. When I asked her why, she shushed me, begging me to be quiet. So, I listened, knowing I had to behave myself. Mother had told me I was supposed to while she was gone.

"Kyoko..." politely, I tried not to pay too much attention as the wolf-man spoke. It was simply rude to eavesdrop, but I couldn't quite help it when the woman he addressed refused to put me down, "...He sent us back."

"What happened?" her voice was weak, her arms shaking as they held me, "Where are they? Where's Kagome... where's Kyo?"

"Kyoko... Kyo... he's – he's," the man was obviously having a hard time spitting out the truth, but the demoness waited as patiently as he could, "...Kyo died, Kyoko... I'm so sorry."

Her body gave a jerk beneath me, causing me to grasp at her arm, "He's dead?"

Dead. I had heard the dog-man use the word before, but I hadn't understood what it meant.

"And... InuYasha. The demon slayer and the monk, too."

She was trying to pull herself back together, but the attempt seemed futile, "What about.. Koga and Kagome?"

"I don't know..." the wolf-man seemed to have problems here, "...He ordered us to run..."

"Koga-san will keep Mother safe, right?" I blurted out, unable to hold my tongue.

Both the adults looked down at me with pained expressions, but it was the woman who held me who answered, "He'll do his best, Kumo."

"She's going to be ok, right?" My Mother was the only person I really trusted, the only one I knew, "She'll come back, like she promised."

The woman smiled, but I could tell it was fake and forced, "I hope so, darling. I really hope so."

The small red headed fox in the wolf-man's arms began to sniffle, wiping away his tears, "I'm going to lose my Mother," he cried.

"Oh, Shippo," the woman who was holding me offered him her other arm, and he took it quickly, "Kagome will be safe... Koga wouldn't let her get hurt."

"But what if he's dead?" Shippo cried, "What if he can't help her?"

Dead. There was that word again, the word I didn't understand.

"Kyoko-san," I addressed the woman a bit more politely than the others did, my voice small, "What does _dead_ mean?"

A pained look crossed over her features, making her look so much older than she really was. I could tell my question had pained her, but I felt no guilt. I have to know, I have to understand the word that they could use to describe my Mother.

"It means..." she hesitated, but spoke soon, none the less, "...That someone has left the Earth, Kumo, that you won't ever be able to see them again. It means that their heart has stopped working, that they won't ever move again."

I could vaguely grasp the concept.

"It is the opposite of life?" I wanted to make sure I understood completely.

"Yes."

"Is... Is Mother dead?"

Please, say no.

"I don't know."

* * *

**Extra 6: History Lesson (Deleted from the original version of Chapter 15)  
Koga and Kagome  
Before Naraku's Death**

"What the hell is this?"

Kagome laughed as she watched Koga tap on the screen, the people reflected on it's surface unaware that they were being assaulted by a single, clawed finger.

"It's called a television, Koga," Kagome said with a smile, "InuYasha used to call it 'the box'."

"Are there small people in there?" he asked, still tapping on the glass.

"No, Koga," Kagome said with another laugh, "To explain it simply, there are people somewhere else that has a special device that can show what they're doing on these televisions. They could be nearby, or all the way across the world in America!"

"What's Amear-eh-caaa?"

She laughed, "Another land, like China is."

"Like the continent?" he asked, standing up and moving to sit next to her.

"Yes," she said with a smile as he sat next to her, leaning into him, "Like the continent. Do you want to see a model of the world? I can show you where America is."

"Umm..." in truth, he was curious, "...ok."

Moments later she returned with a circular device that was held by a rounded bar, setting it on the ground and motioning for him to come sit next to her. He did so, eyeing the object much like the way he had looked at the television.

"If it is a model of the world, why is it circular?" he asked curiously, watching Kagome spin it, "Shouldn't it be flat?"

She giggled, "Actually, Koga, the world is round. I know it's hard to explain, but... well, here," she pointed to a mass of land on the globe, "This is Japan, Koga. If you wanted to get from Japan to..." she pointed to China with her free finger, "which way would you go?"

Curious, he followed along, "I would go this way," he motioned towards the shortest path.

"Say this is a flat board Koga," Kagome said, "And if you hadn't gone that way, what would have happened?"

"I would have fallen off the edge of the world, eventually," he said.

"For a long time, that's what people thought," she spun the globe, stopping it and pointing on another cluster of land, "Koga, this is Europe. There was a man who lived there, who in 1492, thought that the world was round. So he set out on a voyage to go from here," she motioned towards the mass of land she was already pointing at, "to here," she pointed at India, "But, instead, he got here," she pointed at a mass of land that was across the ocean from Europe, "This is America."

"...But, he didn't make it to the place he wanted to, right?"

"Correct. But what matters is that he _thought _he did, and so did everyone else, for a long time. So, the idea that the world was round was there, and people began to make voyages. Now, from Japan," she turned the world back around to Japan, "You can get to China by going this way," she spun the globe, showing the longest way to get to China from Japan, "And not fall off the edge of the Earth."

She watched him try to put it all together, a small smile on her face.

After a moment, he spoke, "But if the world is circular, how do we stay on it?"

"Everything that goes up, must come down," she recited, "There was a man named Isaac Newton who figured out that, no matter how high you throw something, it will come down."

"Yes," he was following along at a surprising pace, "I understand that."

"But what makes it come down?" she asked with a smile.

He stared at her for a minute, "...I don't know."

"It's called gravity. I don't understand it completely myself, but it keeps us grounded. It's a... force that keeps us on the ground. If gravity were to be taken away, we would all float up into space."

"...Space?"

"Where the stars are," she explained simply.

He sighed, falling on his back, "A lot of things have changed, since then."

"Yes." She said with a smile, falling back with him, "But I think you'll enjoy indoor plumbing."

"What's that?"

Kagome just smiled, not giving an answer.

* * *

**A/N: And there you go. Now it should all be out of my system. I'll add more extras if it isn't, later.**

**You know, I just started working on a SessKag, and I've found that friggen Koga/Kagome is so addicting I actually had to add "Fluff" scenes with those two in a _SessKag_ story! It's like a fricken drug! Damn Koga and his irresistible looks...  
**


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